


God of Mischief, not Evil

by FawnoftheWoods



Series: Not Alone Anymore [30]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Brotherly Bonding, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Protective Steve Rogers, Racism, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:08:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21736591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FawnoftheWoods/pseuds/FawnoftheWoods
Summary: The Avengers have gotten used to the weirdness that is being an Avenger.  Until someone steals everyone's left shoe.  Even the Avengers can still be surprised.Don't read the tags to be surprisedPart of my series, but can be read alone
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Loki & Avengers Team, Loki & Thor (Marvel), Steve Rogers & Thor
Series: Not Alone Anymore [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/602305
Comments: 48
Kudos: 214





	1. Chaos may not be a Bad Thing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BFHwantsblood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BFHwantsblood/gifts).



> This is part of my series but can be read alone. Phil and Sam are part of the Avengers here.
> 
> Heads up, future chapters will reference past torture and current issues related to it. Also Asgardian Racism
> 
> Kudos to [ BFHwantsblood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BFHwantsblood) for requesting Loki's return!

The day started out fairly innocently. Tony saw the sunrise from the wrong side, as usual. Sam and Steve ran their route during the sunrise, as usual. Clint and Natasha reported to Phil for the day’s news over breakfast, as usual. Bruce rolled over to ignore the sun a little longer, as usual. And Thor, Thor greeted the rise of the lightbringer with a solemn and respectful wave. 

So the day started for the Avengers. The day started for New York much the same way, cars honking, coffee brewing and phones working away. Even in the Stark International Tower with the Avengers housed above, the overnight staff saw no unusual activity as the clock rolled over to 6:30am and the sun cleared the buildings.

“Sir?”

JARVIS rarely got Tony’s attention without having an actual message. Tony looked at his last cup of coffee, now cold, and decided that whatever JARVIS needed could happen during a coffee run. He’d just sent the new specs to R&D anyway. “Go ahead J, what’s up?”

“Sir, the situation may require Avenger intervention.”

“May?” Tony blinked in confusion as the elevator opened in the common room. Steve and Sam were just leaving, likely for pre-breakfast showers. Natasha, Clint and Phil were huddled over a folder at one end. Phil glanced up as Tony requested more information.

“Yessir. I’m showing an increase in burglary reports in the precincts.”

“Burglary? J, we’re the Avengers, not really who you send after a cat burglar.”

“Yessir, however, they all report the same thing. Someone stole every left footwear.”

There was a moment of silence as Tony was torn between gaping at his coffee or the nearest JARVIS interface. He eventually settled with the coffee, mostly so he could will it to brew faster.

“Oooooookay. Still not convinced about the necessity for the Avengers.”

“Yessir, however, upon these reports, security footage shows a distinct lack of left footwear in the tower as well.”

Tony actually paused in pouring his coffee. He looked down at his two, very much present, tennis shoes and over at the spy-trio. Phil, of course, was fully dressed, but Natasha was in her yoga gear, an activity she and Phil joined Bruce for each morning about 8. Clint on the other hand wore his loose pajamas, with nothing on his feet. All three had glanced up at JARVIS’s comment. 

A moment later, Steve hurried in holding up a shoe, “Tony! Clint! Enough pranks! Gimme back my shoes!”

Tony huffed a breath, “Okay, J, pull up the security footage, lets find this cat burglar.” Steve paused at that comment. A part of Tony, deep down froze at the idea someone could get past all his security. But if all they did was steal footwear, he could at least not freak out until he’d looked.

“Sir, I have reviewed the footage. I cannot pinpoint the burglar.” 

Tony’s anxiety jumped at that. Getting past his security was one thing. Tony may have amazing security but he wasn’t arrogant enough to think no one could get past it. But to avoid the cameras completely meant a level of access, he really didn’t like. 

“J, go through your logs for the night, each keystroke, I'm on my way back to the lab.”

“Tony?” Steve had stepped forward in concern, recognizing the nerves in his teammates voice. 

“Sir, it is not that they avoid the cameras. I have an instance on camera. The shoe simply vanish between frames.” 

Tony gestured to the big screen and JARVIS, proving again that he could read his creator’s mind, showed an open, messy closet. 

“Oi! What’re you doing recording my room?” Clint yelped from the table.

“You requested I record your closet each night in case of retaliation for the cool whip prank last month, Agent.” JARVIS responded promptly.

“That was _you_!” Sam growled at him, having followed Steve with his own shoe in hand, and Tony predicted a new prank war in the tower soon. Regardless, they all were silence when three of the shoes did indeed disappear from view without any explanation. 

“Again, slow it to 5 frames a second.” Tony downed the rest of his coffee as they watched again, starting a few second before the theft and ending a moment after. The shoes didn’t disappear as much as _fade_ from existence. 

They all blinked at the screen until a sheepish voice piped up behind them, “I apologize for my brother.”

* * *

Thor’s explanation both answered and didn’t answer many questions. According to Thor, Loki often pulled a similar magic stunt as a child. Mostly to make Thor laugh when he was upset. It wasn’t always a shoe, sometimes it was other garments, the spell worked on any wearable item that Loki could get his hands on. Since the distance of such a spell depended greatly on the magical power behind the spell, they were lucky it only effected the island and Newark, though a few reports in the long beach shoreline appeared as the morning continued. Temporarily, Tony spoke to a few newscasters, claiming the shoe disappearance a minor magical working not of earth, and they were working on it. 

Thor’s explanation went a long way to identify the culprit, but the motive eluded them. For one thing, Loki hadn’t actually come out to make any statements that they could find. When they located the actual epicenter of the spell, in Prospect Park, they didn’t find anything particularly illuminating. A nearby camera identified a few joggers, but upon reaching out to them, nothing more was learned. They hadn't seen anything magical that morning and Thor said the effect of this spell was fairly immediate following the casting.

Tony, and Bruce once he woke and was briefed, reached out to a few other sources for information, like the UFO watchers and such, but no luck there either. Natasha and Phil were equally empty-handed. Thor assured them that if Loki did not get his desired response, he’d perform another bit of magic. Tony wasn’t sure that was particularly reassuring.

Around noon, Loki’s next bit of magic appeared. 

This one didn’t effect the Avengers directly, as none of them kept pets. Rhodes was actually the person to report this. He attended meetings in Manhattan with a General whose wife called, hysterical, to report that their terrier, or terror as Rhodes called it, had acquired a hat.

A hat that refused to be removed from the pet's head. 

Tony had just stared at Rhodey, following the greeting, and then smacked his face with his palm. Sighing he motioned for War Machine’s pilot to come into the common room floor and got to work. While Bruce made calls to local vets, and getting similar stories, Tony reached out to the SI intranet, asking for help from his employees in spotting anything odd. 

Apparently each and every domesticated dog in a 7 mile radius around Jackson Heights was now wearing a hat. The hat could move around the animal’s body as desired, but it couldn’t be actually removed. 

Tony hated magic.

Eventually their sources discovered that a few hours after the hats had appeared, all the domesticated cats in a similar area, now centered around Riker’s, had saddles. Bruce wasn’t sure who was more upset about that, the humans or the cats. 

Still after an initial annoyance, the pets grew used to the accessory. Their humans were still very much upset, of course, but nothing seemed to remove the accessories. And no one in the area had any left shoes, still.

In general, Steve had gotten very much used to odd things happening. After greeting the new century from Times Square, very little seemed too off the rails, even if he wasn’t always certain how to react. Tony had shoved him at the PR people in exasperation after the pet magic had come to light. He said something about his innocent Brooklyn boy routine would put people at ease. An unnecessary glare from Col Rhodes told Steve how much anxiety Tony attempted to control and Steve went without complaint. 

Besides he couldn't actually help on the Loki end until they found him. Math located the point of the spell cast, but by the time they arrived, nothing remained of the trickster. Even at Riker’s, all the camera caught was a flash of green light and a small figure.

Clint and Natasha decided to patrol the area, each in there own, unobtrusive way, to keep a look out for anything unusual. Phil had his own feelers working for the same goal. Bruce and Tony had their work in trying to understand the situation pulling their strings, with Thor’s enthusiastic, if limited, help.

Thor had reached out to Heimdall and heard back that upon close inspection, Loki’s cell contained an illusion, not the godling himself. Heimdall had long been unable to track the Jotun and even now could contribute little information. Tony eventually tracked the magic’s center-points backwards to a few possible neighborhoods of entry for the Asgardian. Steve and Rhodes chose to accompany Thor to investigate.

Steve had to admit he felt a little silly dashing through the streets, looking for signs of magic, wearing bedroom slippers. Since they did not have a designated foot, the magic had simply removed half of them in the tower. Since any left shoe that came within a certain area disappeared, it remained the best alternative.

He’d just stopped to adjust the foot covering again when he heard Thor call to them. Since it was only a street over, Steve picked up his left “shoe” and sprinted the block. He found Thor and War Machine looking at a symbol painted on a fence. Rhodes lifted his faceplate as he studied it.

“It is a simple enough spell.” Thor gestured to the symbol, “Even I can perform this one easily.”

Steve regarded it as Rhodes touched the marking without disrupting the mark itself. “What does it do?”

“It is a locating spell. You’d need hold of an piece of the target of your search, but it is not a difficult spell.” Thor frowned at it. 

“Thor?” Steve prodded at the confused look on his teammate’s face.

“It is perplexing, My Friend.” Thor stood and glanced around. “My brother is capable of much greater magics than all that is being performed. The radius is insignificant to his power in each case. And this? I have seen my brother magic himself not only to locate the individual, but teleport to their location. Or to bring them to him. This spell, it is a child’s spell.”

Rhodes glanced back, “You used this as a child?”

“Aye. Mostly to find each other or Mother. On the rare occasion Elli, our Fóstran, our..Caregiver?” Thor struggled to translate more nickname type words often enough that Steve ignored it. 

Rhodes, apparently, did too. “Do you recognize the animal magic too?”

Thor thought about it a moment, “Not precisely, though it is reminiscent of a spell Loki once did to the horses. They had to wear belts for a few hours before Father commanded the spell to end.” Thor chuckled broadly.

Rhodes didn’t seem to share the joke, though Steve could feel his own lips twitch. It was hard not to call Thor’s laugh infectious. “Do you remember why Loki had cast that spell?” Rhodes asked.

Thor thought back. While he did that, Steve started looking around. Since Loki had cast a locating magic here, it was likely he’d arrived somewhere nearby. Steve couldn’t see the strategist wander for long without a direction. He could hear Thor from over a block away anyway. For all that the godling could be gentle, he could not be quiet.

“The horse handler, I believe. His critiques had been harsh on that day. Both Loki and I thought it was quite fitting.” Thor finally spoke. Steve did chuckle then. He poked his head over a yard fence and heard Rhodes’ response over coms rather than in person.

“What did the guy criticize Loki on?”

“Hmmm, I do not recall.”

Steve grinned as he spotted a circular brunt symbol in grass. “Guys, Found something, two block north.”

“On our way.” Rhodes replied shortly.

Indeed in the back of a house was a circle of runes that Steve didn’t understand, but recognized, sort of. Thor grimaced as Rhodes again felt the need to touch them. “That is not from Heimdall, but they are of Asgard. I do not recognize the pattern.”

This was the first time Steve had heard of the runes left on lawns making some sort of sense, though he supposed they should at least from a natural phenomenon perspective. Thor glanced upward, “Heimdall! Do you see? Do you know this?”

Rhodes had ignored the shouted command from the godling in favor of looking around. Steve placed his shield on his back again and wandered over when Rhodes crouched in a corner. He held a broken bits of stone and rope with a strange symbol.

“Thor?” Rhodes held up the objects, “This mean anything to you?”

Thor poked at them gently for a moment before his face cleared and then clouded, though this time in concern rather than confusion. “Aye,” he said gravely, “yet I cannot tell you what exactly.”

* * *

By the time they’d made it back to the tower, they’d learned of the most recent magical doings. All soda in the area turned to water and, more recently, all coffee to milk. The coffee was discovered immediately, mostly because Tony mainlined the stuff. Steve had rolled his eyes at that and simply tried to be as patient as he could with the increasingly cranky engineer. The sun had set as the coffee change had happened and they had a potentially long night ahead of them. 

Bruce had talked Tony into some black tea as they sat around a table to eat. Rhodes had insisted that they needed a full meeting to share information, and that this meeting must include lots and lots of pizza. Steve saw him coax Tony into eating almost three full slices before settling back to eat his own meal.

Although it helped, Steve could see the wear on Tony's face. Even Bruce was showing some strain, probably more from dealing with the manic engineer than from the actual problem. Bruce was less annoyed by magic in general. Steve vowed to take some time and sit with Tony later this evening, since the engineer was unlikely to sleep well and would flat out refuse to leave his workshop.

“Okay, now that we’ve got some food in us, lets share information. Tony? Bruce?” Steve gestured for them to start.

Bruce stood before Tony could, probably in an effort to keep them all from hearing his acerbic temper right now. “At 7:04 am, Loki’s first spell that we know of took effect and removed all the left shoes, indoor and outdoor from a radius of 12 miles around Prospect Park. At noon, at a radius of 7 miles around Riker's, all domesticated canines gained hats, and a hour later at a radius of 6 miles, cat gained saddles. At quarter after 5 this afternoon, all carbonation within 4 miles of Mott Haven turned to water and a little over an hour later all coffee to milk at a 3.5 mile radius around East Harlem. For the moment, we believe Loki is circling us.”

“Us?” Phil asked in the midst of his note-taking.

Bruce nodded as Tony gestured emphatically. “Us!” Tony snarled. “Reindeer games is circling the tower and each and every spell includes the block the tower is on. We are his target.”

Rhodes placed a hand on Tony’s arm gently and Bruce sighed. Tony looked at both of them and deflated before sitting back in his seat grumpily. Bruce nodded. “At this point we have no idea what he wants or how to reverse his spells.”

Steve nodded, “We will figure it out. Thor, Rhodes and I found not only his point of landing, but also another magic spell in Hempstead.” Steve gestured to Thor.

“Aye. Heimdall has yet to contact me, however I recognize the magic of my brother’s entry as Asgardian. I do not know who could have cast it, yet I have a clue.” Thor gently placed the pieces Rhodes had found on the table. Most of the table’s occupants leaned forward in curiosity.

Sam finally looked up, “What is it?”

“It was a gift.” Thor reached under his collar to pull an identical, if intact, necklace out. “It is a bróðir félagi. It does not translate correctly. A gift upon our first victory in battle as partners.” While Thor did not remove it, JARVIS displayed an image of the necklace, likely scanned in the room. “It is a great gift to brothers-in-arms. Should we ever be of desperate need of the other, we break it. It will release powerful magic to assist in gaining what we require from our partner.”

Tony frowned as he spun the image in front of him, “So what exactly does it do? I mean, Loki is on Earth, did it just transport him?”

Thor shook his head. “Nay, if that were all, Loki would have appeared before me. The witch who made this was most powerful, mayhap even moreso than Mother. There must be some other purpose.”

Steve frowned at the necklace thoughtfully. Looking around the room, he tried to read his team. Thor looked concerned, whether for his brother or the city was questionable. He cradled the broken pieces closer to himself gently and continued to rub the largest piece. Phil and Natasha both concentrated on Thor, though Phil was still taking notes. Clint had spun his chair backwards and turned his gaze to Natasha. His fingers were tight, telling Steve he suspected something but caution held his tongue.

Tony and Bruce had spun into a discussion about the various spells and their effect, trying to find a pattern now that Thor confirmed himself as the focus of the motive, whatever that was. Sam looked both bored and confused. Sam hadn’t been actively helping them as much during this as on the ground interfacing with the local law enforcement. Steve had wanted a presence there and Sam’s mode of travel was both fast and easily noticed, allowing him to raise the public's awareness that the Avengers were on the job.

It was Rhodes, who caught Steve’s attention. The Colonel was glancing between the necklace and Thor in a calculating way. It was a look Tony sometimes got when he was still adding all his variables. After a moment, Rhodes started a conversation with Thor on previous uses of each of the spells. He claimed to be trying to work around them or solve them, but Steve didn’t believe him. Something had caught his attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I wrote a large part of this when I was in Iceland. Thus the terminology :) Also, if someone will tell me what Pop/Soda/Cola/Soda Pop is called in NYC, I'll change it. In Michigan its called Pop.
> 
> Call out to RedRobbin for the info that in NYC, its called Soda
> 
> Everyone's left shoe is a nod to Lilo and Stitch X)
> 
> Translations  
> Fóstran - Nanny  
> bróðir - Brother  
> félagi - comrade, companion, mate


	2. Chaos may have a purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They catch up to Loki, but something isn't right. Maybe Rhodes knows

Steve erased the last line on his drawing. It had been too acute for DUM-E’s struts. He glanced over to see Tony sprawled against the table. He’d placed a blanket over the engineer a while ago and sent Bruce to bed before that. Tony woke whenever he touched the man so he daren’t try to move him to the couch, even if it probably would be better on his back.

“How long has he been out?” Rhodes’ voice didn’t startle him, long used to Natasha and Clint.

“About two hours.” Steve muttered as he tried another time for DUM-E’s struts. He heard Rhodes hum and guessed the man was looking over his shoulder at the drawing. It lacked in something, but Steve couldn’t find the wrong line. It frustrated him.

“You’ve connected the y-axis horizontal strut to the wrong beam.” Rhodes said.

Steve glanced at him in surprise. He hadn’t gotten far enough that he thought the picture would be recognized. He looked down again frowning as he compared his drawing to the Bot. He was hopeless at 3-D mechanics, no matter how much Tony tried to walk him through them, physics didn’t work for him on a cognitive level.

Rhodes pointed at a line. “Here, this beam should connect to the right-most rivet beam on the base-plate here.” Rhodes’ finger slid across the page and Steve followed it before looking up at the object of his drawing. Through careful tracing with his eyes, he spotted the difference and sighed. Rhodes chuckled. “Don't worry about it. I've got a lot of experience with the bot.”

Steve huffed a chuckle as he erased the line and the surrounding lines that were off. “Tony must have walked me through it a dozen times.”

“Yup.” Rhodes smiled. “He loves it. Told me the other day that you don’t get fed up with him. Done wonders for his confidence in your friendship.”

Steve perked up at that. He’d been trying to deepen their friendship since the mess of the Winter Soldier. Tony had slowly regained his former tentative openmindedness. It was to the point where Steve did have free invitation to the workshop as long as nothing proprietary was in the works. “I’m glad.” He was. Tony was arguably his best friend in this century. Finding out he didn’t think Steve thought highly of him during is “death” had hurt. The set-back from Howard’s murder and Winter Soldier’s involvement had been even harder. 

“Have you finished the reading from last week?” Rhodes had been sending him command-related readings for weeks in an effort to bring him up to speed. Steve had signed up for a two-year degree at an online university slated to start the up-coming semester. Until then, Rhodes was taking his studies very seriously.

“Yeah, I have some questions, but the summary isn’t done yet, so I was holding off.” Steve looked back down at his drawing.

“Works. I could answer some after this mess is figured out if I’m not needed in DC for a few days.”

Steve snorted, “Rather you hung out with Tony. After this, he’ll need it.”

Rhodes snorted. “He’s fine. He just has to sleep off the initial caffeine withdrawal. The bastard doesn’t get addicted to any-fucking-thing. Not even caffeine. Heaven’s knows he’s tried everything under the sun.” 

Steve looked at the man sadly. It had taken him a long time to understand that part of his teammates history. The video compilation shown to him about Tony had been dangerously lopsided and made no reference to his state of mind. They had never tracked down the agent who made it, but Phil and later Clint both agree they had been HYDRA. 

“Hey, don’t look like that! He survived. And now is so much better! I have back up now!” Rhodes joked as he pulled up a rolling chair and sat backwards on it. “Besides, that look always egged him on more than did any good.”

Steve snorted. “That man doesn’t need egging on. Maybe a vote of confidence, but certainly no rallying.”

Rhodes laughed softly at that and gazed at the engineer fondly. Both spent a few moments in silence before the colonel spoke again, “What did Barton have to say?”

Steve looked at him in amazement. He hadn’t known Rhodes had spotted that conversation. Clint had been too quiet throughout the meeting. Edgy, but not talking. Phil’s glances his way spoke of an understanding that Steve was struggling to grasp.

“He didn’t say much.” Steve went back to his drawing. “Phil mentioned once that Clint saw more than anyone. He’d been surprised at Clint’s lack of personal attacks on the Trickster during the Chitauri Invasion. I’d never asked, but now with Loki back…” Steve gestured helplessly. 

Rhodes nodded. “Yeah, let the man keep his peace, but we have a people to protect.”

“Exactly.” Steve nodded. “Even tonight, Clint didn’t say much.” Steve struggled to translate what he got off his archer. Clint had looked at Thor in a longing sort of fashion. Like he wanted the godling to do something. He’d spoken briefly of Loki’s utter obsession with his brother’s attention, even under duress. And Clint did truly believe Loki had been at least under duress during that invasion. Tony had furthered that belief by asking Thor to verify the description for them of a child Loki. They'd pulled a photo from surveillance and done computer magic to de-age it. They’d listed him as a Dark-haired, blue-eyed, pale-skinned child wearing green. There was no issue with the information being sent to all the local law enforcement, except one thing. Thor insisted his brother’s eyes were **green**. 

This had sparked a long discussion. For one thing, every Avenger who had met Loki before agreed, the godling’s eyes were blue. Tony even ranted about how close he’d been to those blue eyes when being thrown from the tower. But Thor remained firm, a magic user adopted the color of their magic from their eyes. Loki’s were green. 

This had sent Tony back through the footage looking for the last footage of the man. Indeed, the footage from the park where they said goodbye held a green-eyed Master of Magics. Tony promised to rerun the footage he could find in an effort to find the color change.

Until then, their description said blue or green.

Clint’s take on this hadn’t been voiced. The wince in his face spoke volumes, but Steve couldn’t read the language. The only other comment he could get out of Clint had been about motives. Steve turned to Rhodes, “He spoke of Thor. He said, ‘It isn’t just what people do, its also whether they chose to do it without being directed.’ I couldn’t figure out what he meant.”

Rhodes frowned in thought, looking at Tony. “Maybe…”

When the man didn’t continue for several minutes, Steve prodded, “Maybe?”

Rhodes started. He must have been deep in thought. “I just… Have you ever thought something and then second guessed yourself because you worry about putting your own experience on someone else?” 

Steve blinked at him as he untangled that question. Rhodes looked concerned, frowning at nothing. “Sometimes, “ Steve said slowly, “I think things are like before the war. With medicine and with human rights. But things are not like that.”

Rhodes looked at him and shook his head. “Not like...nevermind. Probably just being a Rupert.” He looked at Tony and reached out to the engineers hair. Steve braced himself for the man to wake-up, but as Rhodes scratched his fingers through the hair, Tony’s shoulders relaxed further and the man seemed to fall deeper asleep. Eventually, soft snoring could be heard and Rhodes leaned back, satisfied.

“If you’re gentle you could move him now. He’ll sleep for six hours.” Rhodes commented, fondly. Steve blinked before rising and between them they got the shorter man cradled in Steve’s arms easily enough. Steve gratefully placed him on the couch and simply smiled when the mussed head rolled and snuffled into the couch.

Behind him, Rhodes sat down again, clearly set to continue his watch over his friend. “He stole that couch from me when I left MIT. He says it still smells like Mama’s place.”

Steve glanced at him. Rhodes was looking at Tony though. This man really did seem as dedicated to Tony as Bucky had been to Steve, way back when. Steve and Tony were lucky guys to have found such good best friends. “Buck’s Ma, she made the best soup. Ma and I would come over ‘n bring all sorts of fillings. Sometimes I c’n smell the soup still, if I concentrate hard enough.”

Rhodes smiled at that. “I think I can help you with that, actually.”

Steve looked at him in surprise. Rhodes’ gaze remained on his friend. “When Tony took over your legal side, he looked for next of kin. Since you had Barnes listed and he had you listed, we had to widen our search.”

“Next of Kin?”

Rhodes nodded, “Permission for your personals would have needed signatures. We need to get that legal hoops straightened. Tony found your current Next-of-Kin as Barnes’ closest living relative.”

Steve stared at him. He couldn’t believe it. It had never occurred to him to look for Bucky’s family. Steve didn’t have any. His parents were both only children in a new world. But Bucky had sisters and cousins. “You-” Steve’s voice croaked and he had to swallow. “You found…? Who?” He finally managed to get out.

“Jaime Bejan is an engineering professor at NYU. He is the son of Rebekkah Bejan, formerly Rebekkah Barnes.”

“Rikki?” Steve breathed. He swallowed. “She- Is she?”

“She lives with her son.” Rhodes said gently. “Tony found her while you were in DC dancing with HYDRA. I didn’t think he’d had time to tell you yet.”

Steve swallowed and looked at his drawing pad. The first few pages had pictures of the past and one of them was a family portrait of the Barnes and his Ma. Tony had helped him leave a lot of that behind him. Steve really had to thank Tony for that. But the chance of having a bit of that back, someone besides Peggy to span the time. He had no idea when he’d find Bucky and how much of his friend he’d find when they got there. 

Steve Swallowed again, “Yeah, I’d like- I’d like to see her.”

Rhodes nodded, “I gotcha. After this Loki mess is figured, Tony and I’ll get you there.”

Steve wasn’t sure what to say back. How to describe the gratitude he felt towards these two men. Turned out, he didn’t have the time as a wave of...energy washed over them.

Tony stirred minutely but Steve barely noticed as a ghostly image leaped out of him. Rhodes stood, swearing as his ghostly wisp formed into a giant bear. A large hawk flapped around Steve, landing gently on the back of the couch where a large cat prowled around the slowly moving engineer. Tony mumbled as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He swore sharply and backed hastily over the arm of the couch, landing sharply on his rear and continuing back a bit.

Steve was at his side a fraction of a second after Rhodes, ready to shield him as the man was yanked to his feet. “What the hell did I miss?”

Steve saw Rhodes shake his head. “They just appeared.” Steve said as he regarded the Hawk that had followed him. The bear was on the other side of Rhodes and the giant cat stalked forward.

“Appeared?” Tony yelped. 

Steve nodded, “This...this.” Steve waved at the ghostly animals, “came out of each of us and formed these animals.”

The hawk seemed to rear back a moment, as if sizing his defense up. Rhodes eyed the bear warily, but more of his attention must have been on Tony because he noticed before Steve that Tony was creeping forward. “Easy Tones….”

Tony twitched in a way Steve knew meant he heard and was ignoring the instruction. Steve had gotten a similar acknowledgment from the engineer before. The bushy cat had sat back on its haunches in front of the engineer and was regarding its paw, ignoring the other beings in the room blandly. It did look up when Tony knelt in front of it though. The bushy tail flicked across the floor without a sound and the cat returned to licking its giant paw.

Tony reached out to the cat. Steve braced to yank him back, but the Cat simply looked at the hand in annoyance before sitting further back and licking its flank. Tony seemed more curious than anything else. Steve saw him glance at the bear and the Hawk. Suddenly the bear lumbered from its sitting position towards Tony. Rhodes swore briefly and reached forward to yank his best friend back, but the cat leaped _over_ Tony to land between Rhodes and Tony. The Colonel skidded to a halt just before running into the ghostly cat, who stood between the best friends.

Steve braced himself to leap to Tony, the more vulnerable of the two when Tony left out a ‘Omph!’ of a sound. Steve halted, watching in amazement as the bear _laid_ on Tony and the cat _licked_ Rhodes. Watching the Colonel of the Air Force sputter would have been hysterical in any other circumstance.

Steve glanced at the hawk, who had soared around them once and then returned to his perch on the couch. He looked back as Tony started laughing.

“Okay, so aside from scaring the crap out of us, what did this do exactly?”

* * *

Steve chuckled as Thor crouched in front of Tony’s cat in awe. Thor had explained that these were _fylgja_ or spirit totems as Asgardian magics called them. They represented the guiding form set to help those of power and insight. Apparently everyone had them and it usually took a great deal of concentration and need to draw them out, but a suitably practiced warlock could pulled them out. A warlock like Loki, apparently. Thor mentioned that Loki had learned the spell very young, delighting in showing Thor his own totem, a huge goat-like beast.

The animals represented the part of themselves that led the way. Rhodes bear and Steve’s Hawk, called a Habrok according to Thor, were powerful warrior totems. Clint’s ravens were regarded as the information collectors of Odin himself. Natasha and Phil had been out following a lead, but both acknowledged the information and had not shared their totem. Thor proclaimed the knowledge to be intensely private in a very solemn voice, thus Steve chose not to argue. Sam had also checked in from his apartment, claiming an otter had rolled around his apartment. Thor ecstatically claimed that Sam’s versatility surpassed that of _Svipul_.

It was Tony’s totem that had Thor in complete awe. Skogkatt were the most elusive of totems, known for shaping destinies and regarded as the bringer of luck. Unpredictable, Thor claimed them to belong to very few and was honored to meet one. The cat totem, unfortunately, cared little for Thor’s entreaties, preferring to either groom himself or play, after a fashion, with either Rhodes or Steve. He ignored Tony utterly, a trait mimicked by the owner. Steve found himself withholding a lot of chuckles watching his team interact with the animal ghosts.

Bruce had wandered in much later, a small monkey of sorts in his arm. They couldn’t identify him, even Thor was baffled, but he was cute. And he wandered to everyone before settling on Tony’s shoulder. It must feel odd since the animals were both tangible and not so. Steve could almost feel them, but they were not solid. It was a duplicity that drove him nuts until he forced himself to focus on other things.

The announcement to the city that the ghostly animals now wandering the city were nothing to worry about probably wasn’t very helpful, but they didn’t want to explain the whole mess and the animals were unlikely to do much anyway. Traffic was a bit more hair-raising, since the animal would fly after their owners car, but not always _in_ the car. By 3am, everyone had gotten used to the ghostly beings wandering the area.

At 5 am, Pepper floated in long enough to converse with Tony, her own large beaver scurrying after her. The beaver had occupied itself with Tony’s cat while they talked before Pepper left with several decisions and a new product file. The beaver detoured over to rub all over Tony before scampering out again.

It wasn’t long after that visit that Steve was looking out the window and noticed a new obstacle for drivers, “Ummm? Did New York get one of those bubble machines at some point?” 

Steve had seen the device at one of Tony’s birthday parties he threw for them. So blaming this one on Loki could be a bit premature. At least until Tony looked out the window and sighed.

“I’m going to tell Pep and Happy to bunk here today. Traffic is going to be a nightmare.”

Clint joined Steve at the window, “He’s even closer this morning. I just spoke with someone in East Village, the bubbles don’t stretch even that far.”

Steve glanced at Clint. “You still think Thor is the motivation behind all this?”

“I do.” Rhodes huffed from next to him. He was also looking out over the bubbled landscape. “He’s not trying to hurt anyone. As irritating as this may be, Loki could cause a lot more damage.”

“So what’s his end game?” Steve asked.

Clint and Rhodes looked at each other across his chest a moment before looking out again. They didn't answer, but for the first time, Steve didn’t think it was because they didn’t know.

* * *

At noon, Loki’s magic became even more absurd and Steve had to fight to prevent himself from laughing. Every bit of food in the tower and for some blocks around had little stickers on them. Not just any stickers. Clint and Tony’s prank wars had introduced Steve to many odd and only marginally useful items of this century, including swiggle eyes. Still, hearing Tony open the fridge and shriek at the contents was hysterical, once they realized it wasn’t deadly. 

As JARVIS had been on the look out for another event, the center of this one was pinpointed very quickly and the Avengers found themselves converging on Bryant Park quickly.

Tony and Rhodes landed first, naturally, and started a coordinated search of the green area. They knew the general direction Loki was likely to be heading to keep circling the tower. Thor landed with them and by the time the non-flying members of the team caught up in the park, they’d located a small black-hair boy about 8 years old. 

That brought Steve to a bit of a halt. Fighting a kid wasn’t on his list of doable activities and he started to wonder if he could in fact convince himself that this was an illusion when Loki almost screamed. Arms thrust out, Loki blew everyone back with an almost gentle green burst. They didn’t fly far, but it was enough to convey that the child both wanted space, and was _not_ in a talking, and/or monologuing, mood. 

The kid bared his teeth at them all and spun, trying to keep them in sight. Thor tried to approach first, “Brother, what-”

“NO!!!!!! You are not my brother!!!!!” Loki screamed. This shove was less gentle, though it barely moved the godling a few meters.

Steve could tell that they were all frankly at a loss. What did you do with a supremely powerful kid who wasn’t harming anyone? Clint wasn’t even raising his bow to sight a target.

The only person who wasn’t frozen appeared to be Rhodes. When Thor’s entreaty failed to work, Rhodes sighed in the suit, which translated oddly, and jetted forward. He landed just outside what appeared to be Loki’s personal bubble and knelt in front of the mageling. 

“You are Loki, right?”

The kid looked at the gleaming metal defiantly. “And if I am?”

Rhodes seemed to regard the kid a moment before opening his helmet. “You’re looking for your brother, aren’t you?”

Loki glared at Rhodes for that. Something in the air shifted, as if they were all taking that as consent, albeit confused consent.

“You know, I’ve got a brother. Kind of a scrappy little guy, like you.”

“I’m not little!”

“Oi!”

Tony and Loki protested at the same time. Tony was silenced by a sharp shake of Clint’s head. Loki looked at Rhodes completely insulted. Rhodes just chuckled.

“Sorry squirt. Its part of having a brother.” Loki’s frown deepened, but not his anger if Steve were to guess. If anything, Loki looked almost accepting of this description.

“Anyway, my brother, he has this thing. He’d invent awesome stuff. My brother was the smartest guy around!” Rhodes claimed proudly. Steve didn’t need to glance at Tony to know the engineer was standing straighter in his armor. “But see, for some reason we were surrounded by all these idiots. They didn’t understand how awesome my brother was.”

Rhodes leaned forward towards Loki, who was paying attention now. “But I knew. Because I’m his brother. Brothers are like that. Right?”

Loki nodded, “Yeah, my brother, he knows! He knows that my magic is super and I’m really clever.”

Rhodes nodded, “I thought so. Brothers are good about that.” Then Rhodes leaned forward more, almost conspiratorial. “But you know, sometimes my brother forgot that I knew that.”

Rhodes shrugged. “I mean I never didn’t know, but sometimes, I think my brother wanted to remind me. So he’d do something awesome to help me. He’d help me solve a problem or get back at some mean guy. It was really cool to see! Did you ever do that?”

Loki nodded quickly. “My magic is the best. Mom says so. I can make my brother smile with it. And it can solve all kinds of problems. My brother knows that!”

Rhodes nodded, satisfied and Steve felt some part of himself stand down a bit. This wasn’t a battle as much as a conversation from an older man to a child who was...almost... lost.

“And when my brother did these cool things, I’d have to give him a special hug. It was only between him and me. And I told him that I would always know he was the best. Did your brother do that?”

Loki seemed to hesitate a moment before nodding. Steve had to admit, it was almost heartbreaking to see those big green eyes turn glassy. “Y-yeah. He-he-he always said I’d be his adviser. Th-that no one was smart enough to be his a-adviser. And-and…”

At that point Rhodes opened the suit and engulfed the sniffling mageling in a big hug. Loki dropped the small staff he’d been carrying and buried his hands into the stiff military jumpsuit Rhodes was wearing. Only Steve enhanced hearing let him hear what Rhodes whispered into the small ear.

“Sometimes, us brother’s are stupid and we need you guys to remind us.” 

Rhodes looked up and met Thor’s teary gaze at that point. Steve didn’t know when the godling started crying, but the massive man came forward quietly and knelt in front of his comrade and his de-aged brother.

“Loki-” Thor croaked. The pair separated and Loki looked almost nervously at Thor. Thor then leaned forward and engulfed the small child. “ _besti vinur minn að eilífu_ ”

Whatever was said, it was what Loki wanted to hear, as the child wrapped his arms around Thor shoulders. It took Steve a moment to realize that if Loki _could_ wrap his arms around Thor’s shoulders, he’d returned to his adult form. 

The two brothers remained kneeling with Loki’s form silently shuddering, almost completely hidden by Thor’s larger, protective form. Slowly, Steve saw Loki’s shoulders slump, the tremors slow. 

Thor lifted and cradled his now sleeping brother in his arms. “My friends. I thank you for your help. May I impose on you a while longer while my brother recovers? We have much to discuss and I have reparations to make for so grievously discarding my most treasured belief. That the bond of brothers is beyond that of any glory given in the deed or word done alone.”

The Avengers seemed to blink at Thor in astonishment. Steve finally turned to Tony, given the Iron Man mask a questioning eyebrow raise. Tony sighed in exasperation.

“Sure, why not? Lets all convene at the Tower.” As Tony turned away, Steve could hear him muttering, “Maybe the magic-jerk will return my coffee.”

Steve chuckled quietly as he led the group to the Quinjet. Loki remained asleep, cuddled in Thor’s arms. Clint approached and helped wrap the mage in Thor’s cloak. Steve glanced back to where Rhodes and Tony still stood. They were having a silent conversation Steve remembered from when he and Bucky were that close. Eventually Rhodes chuckled and placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder.

“You ride with me.”

Whatever that meant, it seemed to settle Tony enough that the genius took off, presumably to arrive at the Tower ahead of the rest of the group.

Steve walked over to Rhodes as the pilot climbed back into War Machine. “You figured this all out a while ago, didn’t you?”

Rhodes gave him a smirk. “You know, DUM-E spent his first few hours alive chasing me around the apartment. He wanted me. Not in any specific way, but to just be with me and have my attention. Its a desire he got from Tony, but the little idiot wouldn’t say anything to me himself, so DUM-E was trying to be helpful.”

Steve chuckled. DUM-E was definitely one of Tony’s best inventions.

“Anyway, Tones thought I’d get freaked out and leave if I knew how much the guy wanted me around. Go figure.” Rhodes gestured around them. “These pranks. They reeked of simply wanting attention. Thor filled in the rest.”

“Yeah. Us scrappy guys are darn lucky to find brothers like you guys.” Steve said, smiling and remembering Bucky putting up with his crazy stunts and health.

Rhodes smiled. “Duh! Someone’s gotta pull you guys out of your own disasters. You all do everything stupid when we’re not around.”

Steve chuckled, hearing an echo across the years.

_Don’t do anything stupid until I get back!_

He watched as a grinning Rhodes took off for the Tower before turning to address the local LEOs on the scene. He acknowledged one thing Rhodes definitely got right. All brothers had their own code.

 _Til the end of the line._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this series Tony hears about his parent's murder in [ Ecclesiastes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18911566).
> 
> Rhodes working with Steve on his studies is a continuation of plotlines from [ Camp Hell ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16090574) and [ Ecclesiastes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18911566).
> 
> Rhodey's story about DUM-E is a reference to [ Definition of a Hug](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13963830).
> 
> fylgja or spirit totems are actually a thing in Norse Mythology - they are a part of your spirit that take the form of animals in the more spiritually powerful. Thor' totem refers to the goats that pull his carriage. Skogkatt(Tony's totem) are Norwegian Forest Cats descended from the cats that pull Freya's chariot
> 
> Svipul is a valkyrie whose name literally means changeable
> 
> besti vinur minn að eilífu - My best partner/friend forever - sort of


	3. What Comes of Punishment?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Odin brought punishment down on both Thor and Loki. One for starting a war, one for attempting genocide, one to learn a lesson and one to suffer eternally. But punishments do not end upon their start. What outcomes did Odin expect from these acts of a King?
> 
> WARNING: Torture referenced in this chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long, Thor and I were having diction discussions. X) Plus I'm three paragraphs from starting my next story in Way leads onto Way. 
> 
> Again there will be torture referenced in this chapter. Please be mindful of yourself.

The situation in the common room was morose when Steve finally returned. Sam had caught up to him from where he’d been working his own connections in the LEOs and gave him a lift. That prevented Captain America from trying to take the subway or a taxi. Steve had tried that before and even out of uniform, he usually ended up practically mobbed by well-meaning citizens.

He’d stopped at his room to change before making his way to the common room to check in with his team. So the freshly washed soldiers entered the room expecting to see his team discussing the current predicament, not glaring at various bits of space and patently avoiding looking at each other. Except Thor and Bruce, who were not even in the room.

“Okay, what’d I miss?”

The glances around the room got on his nerves quickly, but, as usual, Tony was the one to break the silence.

“We’ve got some new information about ReindeerGames.” Tony swirled his glass as Rhodes looked at him in concern. Steve hoped it wasn’t alcohol. The engineer had been cutting back when not at a society event. The way Tony threw it back didn’t give him any reassurance.

“And?” Sam asked as he ducked into the fridge. He tossed Steve a protein drink and got out the fixings for a sandwich or five.

Tony grimaced. “Well, J finished reviewing the New York Invasion footage for the Drama Queen’s eye color. We have a match.”

“His eyes changed color after the battle?” Steve guessed.

“Close.” Phil said from behind his coffee cup. “Not quite.”

Tony gazed at his empty glass a moment. “JARVIS has footage of this room during the whole thing. We can watch the change in real time if you want.”

Steve blinked, “What caused the change?”

“Cognitive recalibration.” Clint said quietly.

Steve stared at him in confusion. Natasha said, “He got hit really hard in the head.”

That Steve made a connection to. It didn’t take long for Steve to realize, “He was under the Staff’s control.”

“Ding Ding Ding, give the man a prize!” Tony chirped sarcastically. Steve ignored him, looking over the group. No wonder they were a bit off balance. Many of those in New York during that fight placed the blame comfortably on Loki. But many on the SHIELD helicarrier during that attack placed blame on Clint’s shoulders. Steve had found that out the hard way.

But Clint hadn’t been responsible for those deaths. Thus, was Loki truly responsible for the New York or Germany deaths?

“Okay, so when he’s stronger, we ask.” Steve said firmly. But the mood in the room dipped lower. “Right?”

Tony suddenly stood up and threw his glass at the wall. It shattered, well away from anyone, into a shower of glass shards as the engineer stalked out of the room. Rhodes went after him immediately as Sam looked after the engineer in concern. Steve looked around as Clint and Phil stared determinedly at their respective cups.

“What else?”

* * *

Steve felt like emptying his stomach. It had been a long time since he’d felt that, but what they’d learned truly brought on the nausea. When Loki had returned to his adult form, he’d returned to the state he had been in when he’d broken the necklace. Thor had been holding his brother close so none of them got a good look until they returned to the Tower. Thor had taken the mage to their medical wing. The enchantment that kept Loki looking like an Asgardian remained, but all other magic had been exhausted. Thor claimed that enchantment to not be of his brother’s active doing, but subconscious protection. It would be the last magic to fall in the face of Loki’s death.

The pale waif on the bed in front of Steve looked nothing like the proud and desperate man from New York two years ago. Even in Germany, Steve had seen power and pride bursting through Loki’s armor. In his surrender, there was dignity and calculation. Here, there was nothing.

The pale skin was nearly translucent and Bruce had an IV line hooked up to the thin arm. Thor and Bruce had been talking fast about medicines. Thor’s knowledge of medicine was advanced for Earth standards, but apparently the vocabulary barrier was giving Bruce fits. Still, they had managed to come to some sort of agreement on the nutritional needs and current status of the Jotun. 

There was another issue. Thor’s understanding of Jotun physiology was lacking to an extreme. He’d claimed to search for the information after Loki’s fall, but to no avail. The only source of information in all of Asgard, according to Thor, had been his mother.

Steve had barely understood as Thor tried to explain the utter hatred they’d been raised in for Loki’s birth species. Of all the Avengers, Steve had the most experience in leading and being stronger than those around him. Add to that his experience in losing his own brother and then his world, Thor and Steve had held each other in such esteem to be confidants when the nightmares or heartache gripped too hard. Steve knew of Thor’s grief and shame at his former behavior, leading to his exile to Earth. Then to hear of the way Loki’s people were treated and how the mage found out about his own birth, it threw Loki’s actions into stark relief. Especially given what Thor had believed to be the mage’s last words.

In the dark of night, with guilt clawing at Thor’s throat, he’d confided those precious words to Steve.

_ I could have done it, father! I could have done it! For you! For all of us! _

Odin, in his great knowledge had simply said, “No”. More than an admonishment, Thor said Loki seemed to take that as a rejection of all Loki had done at all. How completely Thor and Odin had failed Loki rang through Thor’s bleaker words. Odin and Frigga had explained Loki’s birth after that. Even that Loki had claimed himself Odin’s son in Odin’s sleeping chambers just before killing Laufey cast light on Loki's desired allegiance.

Steve had listened. He had listened through Thor’s talk of all the information he’d learned. Of the true regard Asgard held for the Liesmith, the Mage, a title that should have commanded respect, but instead earned Loki jeers. Frigga had spoke of the difference in genders, a topic Thor had barely touched on with Sif until Jane and Darcy had explained the feminism fight here on Midgard. How the magics Loki wielded so generously were the purview of females in Asgard, and as such seen as weaker. Thor had spoken of how blind he’d been to his brother’s hardships. Even Loki’s first response to Thor’s emotional outreach had been to ask if Thor mourned.

The trial against Loki for sending the Destroyer to Midgard, for the near genocide of the Jotun, for the use of the tesseract to bring invasion to the world under protection, had gone swiftly and Thor had words with his mother and father about it. Neither Thor nor his mother had been allowed to participate for their affection for Loki. Sif had sat in though, as an attendant to her father. She hated doing that, but for Thor, she did. Loki hadn’t even been given the chance to speak in his own defense. 

Traditionally, magic required spoken control. Thus the magic suppressor had naturally doubled as a gag. Thor hadn’t thought the council would leave it on his brother. While Sif had been present for the trial and consequential guilty finding, the punishment had been discussed behind doors with just the council of 12. At the end, Loki was in a cell in the detention area of the palace, refusing all interaction with anyone save his mother.

Now, with those barriers gone and Loki’s illusion magic at its lowest, his health and wellbeing was apparent to anyone to see. Thor sat by his side, holding the slender hand gently. Occasionally, Steve could see Thor stroke the hand with a shaking hand as the godling spoke softly to his unconscious brother. The malnourishment was extreme according to Bruce. The dehydration wasn’t bad, but what he understood of the being, much of his magic and health had suffered. Thor had confirmed that the necklace contained its own magic and what Loki had been doing since arriving here was well within its limited abilities. It also explained why the mage hadn’t been able to cast more or over a larger area.

While this was all hard, it wasn't the thing that turned everyone’s stomach. Light red dots peppered the skin a centimeter above and below Loki’s lips. It was these that had sparked a full team discussion because Bruce said they were akin to piercings. Then Thor requested an explanation of the phrase from the scientist. Upon hearing what Bruce meant, the godling’s face turned sheet white.

Phil said he thought Thor would fall over for a moment. Steve hadn’t made Thor explain again, asking Phil to fill him in. Apparently, an ancient punishment for great magics that threatened existence in Asgard was to actually sew the mouth shut. The thread used was made of liquid iron and hair of a family member and drained the magic from the mage until nothing was left. This was the punishment the council had thought befitted the mage.

It was this that they had hid from Thor and Frigga. Loki had hid it, likely in pride, and the council and Odin, likely to avoid interference, for Thor had stated outright, he’d never have allowed it. Steve, of course, heard this after a moment. He’d been too busy swallowing his stomach first.

Now looking at the two, Steve could see in Thor the same fierce protective nature that burned in his own veins towards Bucky. Bruce had no notion of healing schedule for Loki, but since the mage was showing at least improvements, Bruce had retreated to the Hulk’s fun room to let out some anger.

Steve saw Tony’s image appear next to his in the window through which he’d been watching Thor and Loki. Suddenly he remembered Tony’s drink and felt ashamed he’d thought Tony had discarded his progress on a trivial notion. A drink actually sounded pretty good. 

“Hey.”

Tony didn’t respond right away to Steve’s gentle attempt at greeting. Eventually, though the engineer did speak, “I spoke to Phil about New Mexico. There were deaths, but it was by an official guard of the legal ruler of Asgard. We have precedents for such an attack. Usually a public apology and reparations and such. Sometimes, if there is enough clout, removal of the ruler for a better one. Loki was removed and such so the only fallout now would be actual reparations from Asgard as a state.”

Steve glanced at Tony in question. This kind of political maneuvering was never his strong suit. Tony shrugged. “It's on the current ruler of Asgard, not Loki.” Tony translated. 

“And New York was under severe mind control, Barton can testify to the lack of control, along with the half dozen others. JARVIS did a strategy analysis of Loki’s tactics and it showed Reindeer Games was actually trying to get everyone’s attention. He was trying to build a team or army to stand opposed to him. Same way Clint shot at Fury and hit him in the vest instead of the head. And the way Selvig left a weakness in the wormhole device. I mean getting him to say as much would be nice, but…” Tony shrugged. Steve agreed that getting the Liesmith to take this seriously enough to actually speak of the events would be difficult, if not impossible.

“Mayhap, Loki’s sentence could be served here?” Thor spoke from the door. Steve saw Bruce checking over Loki with a female doctor. Tony glanced at Thor. “My brother, sending him to Asgard would be to invite spite. My mother and I need time to work. And Midgard holds some persuasive power now.”

“We do? I thought we were beneath Asgard?” Tony quipped warily.

Thor sighed. “Many believe that is so. And though I know better, I do not believe convincing them otherwise is a good use of our time at present.” Thor looked back in the room. “It appears I have greater need of my brother’s knack for politics than I thought, but this battle I must fight for him. He cannot assist.”

Tony huffed, “Okay, so Phil and I will put together the ‘Midgardian’ side of this mess. You will have to wrangle All-Daddy though.”

Thor blinked at Tony, perhaps in confusion, for a moment before untangling the words. This was a common enough reaction to Tony in the group that everyone tended to ignore it happening anymore. “Aye. But I fear leaving my brother in such a state. He is not aware enough to protect himself.

“He is aware at all?”

“Oh yes. Friend Bruce’s medicines have done well. Loki has recovered much of his basic magic strength. This magic sustains my brother’s basic spells.”

“Oh?” Tony asked, curious.

“Wait,” Steve interrupted before Tony could talk Thor into an information rant, “These basic spells, what do they do? Do we need to worry about them?”

Thor frowned at him. “Nay. They are mostly protective. Loki’s personal shield and magic flow do little to others. The barrier will lash out if you attempt him harm, but I trust everyone on this team. It is good.”

“Great, see Steve. Don’t stab or frisbee the semi-conscious mage and we’re safe.” Tony chuckled.

Steve rolled his eyes. Tony turned back to Thor, “Also, won’t All-Daddy already know all this? Won’t creepy Santa report it?”

Steve blinked at Tony in complete confusion. This time, Thor looked to be in the same state. “I know of no warrior on Asgard by the name ‘Santa’. Who is this person, Friend Tony, Man of Iron?”

Tony waved. “You know, that all seeing guy. He’s like Santa. ‘He sees you when you’re sleeping and knows when you’re awake’ and all?” 

Thor grinned in good humor, “Ahhh, You speak of Heimdall. Though, I doubt he concerns himself with your sleep schedule, light though it is. And he cannot see us right now.”

“He can’t?” Tony asked the question rattling in Steve’s brain after a moment of both staring at Thor in surprise. He’d forgotten about the guardian of Asgard, but Thor had mentioned him often enough. Planning how to handle Odin and Asgard worked better if Asgard or Odin were not privy to the discussion.

“Nay, one of Loki’s most basic protection spells hides him from magical view. He must actively lower it to be noticed by Heimdal. It tends to encompass a sphere around his person a good two men tall. We are well within its reach.” Thor assured them. “It was not until that magic recovered that I knew Loki to be on the mend.”

At this point Bruce exited the room with the woman. “Thor, Loki is showing signs that on a human would mean he’s out of our danger phase. Dr Cho has looked at the cellular research and agrees that his healing ability seems adequate for the job.”

Thor bowed to Dr Cho, “I thank you galant Lady, for your concern for my brother. I shall find a means of showing my gratitude upon our next meeting.” 

Dr Cho stuttered, probably at the flowery language, and seemed to finally squeak out a ‘You’re Welcome’. This was a normal first reaction to Thor’s grandiose behavior. Thor re-entered the room, likely to return to his vigil at his brother’s bedside.

Bruce drew Steve and Tony away, closing the door and window curtains as he went. “Steve, I don’t think you’ve had the chance to meet Dr Helen Cho. She’s a cellular geneticist focusing on regeneration. She is working with Tony and I to create technology for assistance in injury medicine.”

Steve gave her a nod, “Please to meet you Ma’am.”

She nodded, still looking back at the room distractedly. Bruce sighed. “I heard some of what Thor was saying. I tend to agree with him, Loki is past a dangerous stage and is beginning to take over healing on his own. I don’t know what that means as far as his magic is concerned, but other signs of healing have started, indicating that the malnutrition and dehydration are starting to alleviate.”

“Good,” Steve said, “I think before we decide anything, we should try to get Loki’s view. One of the forms of penitence Loki could do to show our world leaders he wants to help is discuss the actual puppet-master.”

Bruce and Helen looked stunned for a moment but Tony simply looked resigned. Steve grimaced and placed a hand on Tony’s elbow. “Tony, I know you saw the fleet. Loki may have more-”

“I get it.” Tony waved his hand quickly. “Yeah. Yeah, let’s talk to Reindeer Games. Come and get me when he’s up. Until then I’ll hold off on making deals. Good? Good.”

The three of them watched Tony turn and almost run away to an elevator. Bruce pinched his nose bridge between two fingers. “Well, that went well.”

Steve frowned. But he glanced at Helen and smiled. “Thank you for coming, Ma’am. I’m sure JARVIS has a room all set for you to use.”

“I do, Captain. Dr Cho, if you will proceed to the elevator, I can take you to the floor. Or if you are hungry, there is a sandwich making event in the common room at this time. I believe Agent Barton and Sergeant Wilson are discussing the different mustards.” JARVIS responded immediately. 

Dr Cho recognized a dismissal and let herself be led to the common area for a snack before bedtime. As soon as the elevator doors closed, Steve turned to Bruce, “He’s having panic attacks again, isn’t he?”

Tony had experienced several panic attacks early on in the team-ups, but they had mostly been associated with solid, known triggers from Afghanistan and mostly went unremarked on, save the hiccup incident. That particular event was seared in Steve’s brain as when he started to see Tony as someone who could be vulnerable. Still that retreat reminded Steve of the lecture he got on mental health during his Hell Camp training with Rhodes. 

Bruce removed his glasses to play with, something he generally did when he was at a loss for what to do. “I don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me. He was acting pretty cagey before the whole Mandarin thing, but after that, especially with SHIELDRA and Barnes, he’d seemed to get past much of it.”

Steve stared after the engineer. The elevator doors were closed, since no one had indicated a need for them to JARVIS, but Steve was seeing the retreating back of the brunet. “Bruce, back when I first was found, SHEILD and Phil both sent me to a therapist. I only went a few times and they pronounced me fine and I never went back. But since then, I’ve had people talk about psychologists. Sam, Phil and Clint have all mentioned it. Even Tony has offered to find me someone to talk to. I-I mean...Do you-you think...I mean Tony…?” Steve stumbled now. Shrinks meant there was something wrong with you. Steve knew this. But he also knew that had changed. 

Bruce hummed. “Getting anyone on this team to trust a professional is like trying to slam a revolving door.”

Steve blinked at that imagery. “I...I’ve never heard that one before. I’ll have to remember it.”

Bruce smiled, “It's one of Tony’s actually. ‘Anyone who says nothing is impossible has never tried to slam a revolving door’. It's a good quote about how science responds to requests by non-scientists.”

Steve grinned, it did sound like Tony.

“Anyway, if you are asking whether Tony would benefit, I’m sure with the right psychologist all of us would. But I don’t know if finding the right one is the way to go with Tony. His trust issues would make the process long and painful and quite frankly I don’t think the results would be fast enough to make it worth it. I think he’ll find his own coping method faster.”

“So, we just need to be there for him?”

Bruce grimaced. “As much as we can. We can talk to Sam about coping techniques he’s been taught.” Bruce gave him a sidewise look, “You realize, of course, that this means you will have to attend to your own mental health, right?”

Steve rolled his eyes. “I’m not having panic attacks.”

“And you were not always having asthma attacks. Didn’t mean your lungs were better.”

“I’m fine!” Steve growled. Bruce just raised an eyebrow. Steve looked away.

“If you want to help Tony,” Bruce started slowly, “You need to be prepared for Tony to push back a bit. Including using your own argument against you. You’re our leader. But you know leading by example will work better and faster with Tony.”

Steve gritted his teeth. It's not that he didn’t have a lot of respect for people who needed help, he just didn’t think he was one of them. He didn’t really get panic attacks anymore. Sam had helped him with his water issue. He slept mostly through the night now. And he had too much to do with the Avengers and Bucky. 

“Look, Steve,” Bruce said, pulling him out of his thoughts. “I will help Tony as much as I can. I always do. And anything I recommend to Tony, I’m either already doing myself, or I’ve at least tried. But, maybe he needs someone who is not his science bro for this. He’s reacting to a battle problem, as a soldier. Maybe he needs to hear it from another soldier.”

Bruce patted his shoulder as he left.

* * *

Steve found Thor in the common room. The godling was just staring out over the city. He looked like a statue. More than once Steve had wished the courage to ask the godling to sit for him to draw. He had several sketches of the godling started, but without a stationary model, he really couldn’t get the majesty that Thor could exude on a daily basis. Especially when contemplating something as serious as this.

Steve stopped just behind Thor’s left shoulder, looking past him into the clouds that had descended over the city since their trip tot he park. He knew his reflection were showing in the window, but Thor didn’t turn. For someone as boisterous as Thor, his silence spoke volumes more.

When he finally did speak, his voice was soft, grumbling across the room. “How can I succeed, Friend Steve?”

Steve blinked as he registered that the gentle voice actually was asking a question. He waited. Often Thor liked to start his thinking with a question. if given enough time, he’d work his own way out of a mental quandary. 

Like a pebble in a rock slide, Thor is quiet, almost calm when he starts, “My father has lived an age before my existence. And he has thus lived an age since. He was twice my years when Mother birthed me. Yet, it is in Midgardians, those for whom life is but a breath of time, that I find to have wisdom.”

Thor heaved a breath, “my arrogance when I arrived and met fair Jane deserved praise. Long had Asgard, and my father, proclaimed my battle prowess as glorious. Yet, the lesson father required of me to overcome to gain his acceptance as a Prince came from a young midgardian female.”

“How, friend Steve, can I convince my father's court that which I know is true and yet would have, not only rejected, but sneered at prior to my travels?” Thor seemed to not dare look at Steve. Shame crossed his face as his gaze turned inward. “Many times my brother and I would battle warriors, for glory or for right. Many times we both would triumph, singly or together. Yet, looking back, praise was only to be had when I was fighting. Though my brother won his battles and though I claimed him my favored partner in battle, never did he carry the title ‘warrior’.”

Thor glanced at Steve now, eyes full of confusion and pain. “They called him Liesmith and Mage. In my ignorance, I assumed these titles Loki had sought, for these were skills he practiced and acquired to great mastery. He was proud of these skills. So I let my impatience for diplomacy blind me to the true degradation of my favored adviser. When we separated for our higher studies, his skills in magic and trickery reached legendary status.” Thor smiled brightly. “He crafted his spells as deftly as the great ones of old, pushing new heights to his existence.”

Thor paused, still looking up at the sky. His smile faded. “Yet, when we reunited, it was not of this pride he spoke. It was not of these accomplishments father praised. Nay, he seemed to cower, if my brother could do such a thing, and took to staying in my presence save when I wished amatory companionship.”

Thor’s voice grew soft, like the rumble of thunder this time instead of the dropping of pebbles. “I did not realize that in my presence he was protected from the cowardly words of the court. I did not know, and yet, as his brother, it was my honor to take on that task.”

Outside, Steve saw the clouds darken as the rain started. “Looking back, I see his looks towards our father. After our separation, I saw a different Loki. My brother seemed to gain a darker, vindictive proclivity focused on the court. It was this Loki that the Warriors Three met. Mayhap, this is the source of their discord.”

“I am aware that my brother has the skills to end the peace, create chaos for Asgard should he care to. Yet he saves such devastation for our enemies. Mother counselled him in patience. Only now I realize that my ascension to the throne as Crown Prince poised as the hook that patience dangled. If this is so, then his anger, more than justified, raised an important issue for the court.”

Thunder rumbled outside as Thor heaved a breath. His voice, so soft at times was now gaining in strength. “Important indeed. The price for a warrior who attempted rebellion was not so dear as that brought upon my brother. Even my mother, Queen of Asgard, would face consequences great for simple chance that she holds a magical title. Nay, Father has failed Mother and Loki.”

“A midgardian woman knew more of this than a king of a thousand times her years. Lady Darcy and Lady Jane have spoken of equality and I see that Asgardian equality is but a farce, an insult. Commander Fury, and even you, friend Steve, have shown the wisdom of a leader who considers their faults and admits to them. Friend Tony and Friend Bruce have shown that understanding can be the weapons of the warrior. Friend Clint and Friend Natasha demonstrate the use of the less powered for the more precise. This Midgardian world that father sent me to is full of valuable lessons. Lessons he desired I learn!”

Thor heaved a breath again, looking at Steve, his eyes blazing with lightening fury. “Yet all these lessons lead me to but one journey’s end, my father is wrong! All-father shows neither equality nor compassion, neither acceptance nor diplomacy! False and lies are these in the sight of the All-father. And by the lessons he desired I learn, I shall stand before him and triumph!” Thor roared.

Steve had to take a breath. He was getting lightheaded from holding it as he watched Thor’s words culminate to his final point. It was as breathtaking as a tidal wave crashing over a cliff, like a volcano erupting after aftershakes all afternoon. It was a song swelling towards that final sweet note of clarity.

Thor was now looking over the city again. “I shall stand up to the King of Asgard. As is my honor, as is my duty. As Loki’s brother, as Crown Prince, and...as Thor.” His voice rumbled, breaking slightly. The strength in this gentle man had Steve in awe.

Taking another deep breath to center himself, Steve reached forward with a hand. “And for all those reasons, I know you’ll succeed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?


	4. Asgard Xena Cometh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asgard wants its princes back. So they send a messenger to tell them to prepare for transport. It doesn't go...exactly as planned. Not for Asgard. Not for the Lady Sif

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up: Hela is awesome and badass and totally NOT MCU cannon in this series.
> 
> Point to clarify: Thor knows of Loki's birth. As does Odin, Loki and Frigga. Some of the older council members may know, but that's it. Sif and the Warrior Three do not know. The general Asgardian Population does not know. And the rest of the council does not know. Just those few.

JARVIS’s alarm brought the Avengers back to Loki’s medical suite just after sunset. When they arrived, they found a woman dressed in rather flashy, traditional battle garb. Clint already had an arrow cocked, but Phil held up a hand to stop everyone. Steve halted to wait for confirmation.

Of course, Tony rarely listened to anyone. He strode forward and past the standing woman. She had simply raised an eyebrow at them and thrown a smirk their way when they aimed their weapons her way. Part of Steve wanted to toss his shield, if only to ask her for a bit of respect when in their own home. That thought told him how tired and stressed he was. Normally the thought would have never occurred to him.

Tony, instead, banged on the medical door, “Thor, a Norse Xena is here for a visit. I’m betting it's you she’s looking for.”

Soon enough, Thor appeared at the door to Loki’s room and the woman’s face brightened, “Thor!”

“Lady Sif!” Thor cheered. The two engaged in what was clearly a well rehearsed hug and back slapping tradition. Steve was familiar with similar greetings in the military. It spoke of long time trust and comradery.

When they parted, Sif grinned. “I am pleased you are well! The bifrost construction is continuing slowly so travel is difficult for now. Otherwise nothing would have stopped the Warrior Three from accompanying me.”

“I shall see them soon, I expect. Come, meet my friends!” Thor gestured to the surrounding, and relaxing, Avengers. “This is Steven, our Captain. Bruce, and within him Friend Hulk, capable of great acts of science and strength. These two are Clint and Lady Natasha, full of grace and stealth to challenge even the light-footed Dagny.” Thor nodded to each of them as Sif nodded in greeting. “This is Son of Coul, my ambassador to the other warriors of this world. And this is Friend Tony, Lord of Stark. Man of Iron provides all you see around you.”

Sif gave them all a fisted salute and a nod. “I am honored.” She turned to Thor quickly though, “Thor, your father sent me to warn you. Heimdall will pull you back to Asgard soon. I am here to ensure the transport of the prisoner Loki-”

“Prince Loki.” Thor interrupted.

Sif paused and a confused frown crossed her face. “Thor?”

“My brother is a prince of Asgard. And he shall remain here while I return to speak with the council on his behalf.” Thor stated firmly. Steve got the feeling an argument was brewing here and subtly motioned to the group to back off and give them at least the illusion of space in the large waiting area. Phil, Clint and Natasha pulled out tablets to work on and retreated, followed by Bruce doing the same. Steve saw that Tony was leaning against the wall, the perfect vision of nonchalance except for the piercing gaze, which he had zeroed on the two Asgardians.

“Your father has-”

“I shall speak with my father. You will remain here.” Thor interrupted. “You will protect my brother in my absence.”

“Protect Loki? From whom? Who here could challenge Asgard’s Mage?”

“ENOUGH!” Thor thundered. Sif stood back in surprise. “My brother is the Prince of Asgard, former ruler of our home. You will defend Asgard’s prince by lending your strength to the Avengers, under Captain Steve.” Thor gestured at Steve. Steve could see some confusion on Sif’s face.

She stared hard at him a moment. Thor met her gaze for a long minute before his gaze softened. “You stood beside me once against Asgard’s rule of law. I ask you now, Lady Sif, once again name your loyalty.” It was spoken almost softly, especially for Thor. 

Sif seemed to read his face hard before giving him the fisted salute and low bow. She turned to stand at the door to Loki’s room. Thor turned to Tony, “Have you a method that would allow me to bid Fair Jane farewell?”

Tony glanced at Sif again before nodding. “Sure. I'll get your ladylove on the wire, Pointbreak.” Tony glanced at Sif once more before sauntering down the hallway and quietly speaking to JARVIS.

Steve watched him a moment before turning his attention back to the door Thor had just vanished through. Steve moved to join him at Loki’s bedside. 

Thor lifted his hammer into his grip from its resting place on the floor, dawning his armor gently, for once. Thor placed his fingers on the middle two round circles on his armor. “I hoped to converse with My Brother before departing, but that is not likely. Friend Steve, I have a request to make of you.”

“Name it.” Steve said confidently.

Thor tore the two disks off his armor and placed them on Loki’s clothed shoulders. “These disks will protect my brother from most attacks from afar. It is attacks from near that I fear. I do not know what state I will find the council in, but my task may be daunting. I may be gone from this realm for a while.” Thor lifted his hammer again. “Tell my brother I shall return for him. And that never again shall he suffer of Brokk and Eitri. I shall see to it that my adviser will be welcomed in Asgard.”

Steve took a moment to absorb that before nodding. Thor turned and left the room. He always seemed to suck the air out with him, his presence was so electric. After his departure, Steve heard him quietly instruct Sif to treat Loki and the Avengers with respect of Thor until his return. Steve sighed and looked back at the waiflike figure on the bed. It was hard to believe this man had almost conquered Earth a few short years ago.

But he hadn’t. If the two geniuses ( _Genii?, He’d have to ask Tony_ ) were to be believed, Loki was the reason the Chitauri invasion was as ineffective as it had been. 

Steve looked up when a figure appeared in the door. Sif stepped into the room and leaned against the wall. “Would you be able to tell me what has transpired?”

Steve frowned at her. “What do you mean?”

Sif nodded at the bed. “He was an enemy of your world upon his last visit. And before with the Destroyer. Yet you and Thor protect him now. When I was sent here, my King did not give me much information. I did not think I needed it to deliver a simple message. Now, I am to guard the Mage, I’d like to know why.”

Steve gritted his teeth. He still didn’t like Loki. The man _was_ a bagful of cats, to use Bruce’s turn of phrase. But the pain Loki’s death and subsequent defection had brought to Thor battled that dislike. Thor was a good friend. And maybe, Loki’s history wasn’t as clear cut as Steve had thought.

Steve looked at Loki, lying on the bed. “Are you familiar with a bro-thur feel-gay?” Steve stumbled over the unfamiliar word. “It's a necklace. Both Thor and Loki had one.”

Sif’s face cleared of her brief confusion over his clumsy Norse. “Yes. Thor cherishes it. They have had it longer than I’ve known them.”

“Do you know what they do?”

Sif hummed and she thought a moment. “It's not an exact spell, “ She said as she shook her head. “They are to break it if they need something from the other. The contained magic will find a way to get it. Its very old and complex magic. A great gift for any warrior pair, but for brothers to earn one is truly remarkable. Thor and Loki must have completed a great task for such a gift.”

Steve nodded, “Thor said something like that too.” Steve looked at Loki. “Loki broke his, either on accident or on purpose. It transported him to the city.”

“So he needed to be near Thor. Maybe he wished to bare his grievance.” Sif huffed. Steve frowned at her.

“Loki did not appear in front of Thor. And he did not appear his own age. He looked like a child. And from what Thor tells us, he was acting like he did as a child. Pranks, mostly geared to get Thor’s attention and make him laugh. Nothing dangerous.”

Sif looked stunned. “Loki, wished to be a child again?”

“No,” Steve swiped his hand through the air. “Remember? The necklace helps the person get what they _need_ , not necessarily what they want.”

“So Loki needed to be a child?”

Steve looked back at the sleeping mage. “I think on some level many of us wish to go back, to a time that was simpler. But, no, we believe what Loki needed was for _Thor_ to remember who he’d been as a child. Once that happened the magic ended, and we were left with…” Steve waved at their patient.

Sif didn’t say anything, simply looking at Loki as if he were a confusing puzzle to solve. Steve was about to search for a chair to sit in and keep watch when Bruce poked his head in.

“I’ll sit with him. I’ve got several hours of calculations to do and I can do them just as easily in here.” Bruce grinned, “And JARVIS can cut off my screen if I’m not paying enough attention.” Bruce admitted shyly. Steve grinned at him and nodded.

With a last look at Sif, which went ignored, Steve left to find food.

* * *

It took Sif a few hours to find a comfortable guarding position. The mortals Thor involved himself with had a multitude of furniture, but only some of it was comfortable, especially if she wished to be able to respond to a threat quickly.

The Captain checked in with her and whoever was in the room every few hours, as did the scribe, Phil. The healer, Bruce, remained for much of the afternoon absorbed in the tablet on his lap. Several times, he consulted with the Head of Household, Lord Stark, and once with the other Healer, Helen. 

Sif heard a member of the team move throughout the walls, but as the man did not show himself and Healer Bruce named him the Archer Clint, Sif did nothing. It was nearing dusk when Sif sorted out a question to ask to start searching for some of the answers she sought.

Her companion at this point was the Scribe, Phil. She asked if there was a tablet like Healer Bruce’s that might allow her to read history. Scribe Phil found her one such device and introduced her to the house, JARVIS. Apparently on Midgard, buildings sometimes are beings themselves. Sif found that mildly disconcerting.

Still, House JARVIS answered any question she put forth, albeit not always in a way she completely understood. Once she had asked all her questions regarding House JARVIS’s job and abilities, Sif asked the original question, “Has Midgard stories about Loki from before?”

“Many myths have been recorded of who are now identified as Asgardians, including Prince Loki. Would you like to read them yourself, or a summary?”

Sif glanced at her charge and shook her head, “I appear to not be going elsewhere for a while. I shall read them myself. Where shall I find this information?”

“The tablet Agent Phil retrieved earlier will suffice. Place the tablet on your lap with the screen facing your head.”

Sif picked up the thin tablet and writing appeared on one side. 

“Gently press your finger to the text and slide your finger up and down to move through the text on this myth. Slide your finger to the side to read the next myth.”

SIf did a few experimental motions before the text moved as expected and she settled down to read.

* * *

A soft groan caught the attention of Phil, Natasha and Clint about lunchtime the next day. Sif was in the kitchen devouring her own meal and they had swore to remain on guard, all three of them, until her return.

Natasha immediately pressed the button to call Bruce or Helen, whichever was more available as Phil stood next to Loki’s bed. Clint backed up slightly, uncertain how the mage would respond to a former victim, even if they were fellow victims in a sense. Loki’s head shifted slightly, but when his shoulder shifted, he froze in place. Out of the corner of his eye, Phil saw Sif slide into the corner as Bruce and Helen arrived. Helen zeroed in on her read outs, but Bruce approached the prone figure.

“Loki? You are safe with the Avengers. Thor has requested we help you recover. You are on Midgard.” Bruce continued a litany of information and reassurances that he and Phil had put together in anticipation of Loki’s disorientation upon waking. Phil watched carefully as Loki’s eyes moved under his eyelids and he suspected that the mage could in fact see the room in some fashion. Bruce left one of his hands on Loki’s wrist and used the other to press gently to his forehead and then his cheek. In a human, Phil would guess Bruce was checking temperature and breathing rate. For the Jotunn, Phil rather thought Bruce was simply trying to ground Loki.

Since Thor had held his brother’s hand and he, himself, always seemed very handsy with hugs and slaps on the back, probability was high that Loki was tactile as well. Bruce now utilized that as a grounding presence and a way to connect with the patient. Phil glanced at the woman in the corner, Sif. Sif’s attention remained fixed on the mage though. Phil glanced at Natasha and with a series of eye movements directed her attention to Sif, and requested she observe the Asgardian.

When Phil redirected his attention back to the bed, Loki had finally conceded to opening his eyes and was regarding the room as a whole with the utmost distrust. Bruce, by and large, ignored this behavior for discussing Dr Cho’s readings and posing questions to the silent mage. Probably due to his experiences on the run performing medicine, Bruce remained unperturbed at the lack of answers. Attempting to convince the patient to drink water was a failure, but Bruce simply left the bottle next to the godling and assisted Loki in his attempt to rise by reclining the bed up.

Phil could see the twitching of Loki’s hands and the calculation of those green eyes. Loki wasn’t sure why they were helping him, what that would cost him, and how to make the most out of it before running. Phil had seen those looks before. Phil had a reputation in SHIELD, before its fall, for bringing agents in from the cold. Clint and Natasha were his best examples, but not his only ones. Phil waited for Bruce to finish with his medical speal before stepping forward. 

As he expected, Loki’s gaze moved to him immediately. Phil pulled a rolling chair towards the foot of the bed and set himself on it, adjusting the height to match Loki’s eyes. “Thor requested we guard you as needed until his return. He left a message with Steve, Captain America, for you. Steve will be back in 26 minutes. Would you be willing to wait here for him?”

Loki regarded Phil a few moments, but Phil kept his gaze calm and focused on Loki. Whispers, mostly from the two medical scientists, floated behind him, but Phil kept his attention firmly on the mage, hands resting lightly and open on his thighs. 

Once Loki realized Phil was indeed awaiting a response, he opened his mouth but a croak came out instead of a voice. Phil glanced at the water bottle Bruce had left, but made no overt movement to grab it, rather tilting his head in question. Loki lifted a hand, likely to reach for it, but was brought up short and let his hand fall to the bed again. Phil waited until Loki glanced at him again before leaning forward and settled the bottle in Loki’s hand, unscrewing the top. Phil heard Tony join the science talk and Clint retreat to the cabinet top behind him, but for the moment, he helped Loki’s arm lift the water and the Mage took a deep drink. 

“Small sips.” Bruce called from the side of the room where they were discussing a language search of some kind.

Loki twitched, but kept taking in little sips of water until the bottle was near empty. When Phil felt the slight resistance, he took the bottle and returned it to its resting place. Loki licked his lips.

“And if I said I wanted a North facing room?”

Phil kept his face smooth and let a gentle, amused smile cross it. “Then Tony will have to move his sentient X-ray machine out of Room 8904.”

“I didn’t make it sentient!” Tony called.

“It refuses to take X-rays of Clint or myself.” Came Natasha’s dry response. 

“You guys are scary spies” Tony muttered. Tony probably shrugged as well, but Phil was still looking at Loki. Loki seemed satisfied though and leaned back.

“I shall wait here, I think.”

* * *

Sif shifted back into her seat further as Captain spoke with the mage. Loki and Steve had both motioned for privacy for this talk, whatever it was. Sif let them have it. She had other concerns. She’d gotten through some of the more popular stories of the Asgards of old and was now reading the less well-traveled volumes House JARVIS had access to. It was rich in information and poetics. She could see the truth behind the fanciful tales, as exaggerated as any retelling she’d heard. That was part of the problem, actually.

Loki, in these stories had children. Several children, in fact. Normally, Sif would discount this as rumor, fun to tell but little basis in truth, except the names. Sif knew those names. This is what worried her.

As the Scribe, Phil, successfully coaxed Loki into patiently awaiting the Captain’s arrival, Sif studied the Prince of Asgard. Thor had always spoken highly of his brother. While Sif knew the Warrior three had no love lost for the mage, she, herself, had very little interaction with the Prince. He both supported and contradicted Thor in turns, making him hard for her to read at times. She knew he supported her rise in the warrior ranks, despite her gender. In fact, Loki seemed to take pride in her complete trashing of normal gendered remarks, often backing her verbal defense of her warrior pride with cutting remarks about his mother’s skills in that particular arena.

Sif, had seen Loki fight often enough. The mage rarely entered the arena. Usually that was under duress from an adviser, or threat of insult from the opponent. Both were rare as the court had learned quickly that Loki’s behavior in the arena made a fool of any who stepped in with him, save Thor himself. Often, Illusion after illusion utilized expertly had Loki’s opponent running around looking incompetent at best. The more insulted Loki felt the longer this went on. Loki had demonstrated, repeatedly, that a challenge ended when he decided and not a moment before.

In actual, physical combat, Loki favored knives, though Sif had seen him use a sword and spear effectively on the battlefield when so needed. Like the Warrior Three and Sif, herself, Loki followed Thor into battle as possible since Thor’s return from his wandering studies. As was tradition, both princes had left Asgard for a time to pursue their studies, Loki for Magic and Thor for Warrior Training. They had not completed them together, as the Warrior Three and Sif had, and thus Loki had a significant portion of his life unknown to even Thor. However, upon the reunion, Loki proved himself quite capable a warrior and chose to follow his brother on the field.

Looking back, Sif wondered why. As Asgard’s foremost Mage, sparing his mother, Loki should have been kept close to court. And yet, until the banishment to Midgard, Thor hadn’t left home without his brother tagging along, often full of advice the Warrior Three, and Sif, she was ashamed to say, scoffed at. Yet he remained in their company, Sif had thought, out of loyalty to his brother. However these stories told of a much different, darker side to her king.

On Midgard, Loki was rumored to have a child, Hela. Sif knew of Hela. She was the foremost ruler of Helheim. At least that was what Sif had been told. She’d never met the giantess, herself. Hela ruled Helheim with an iron fist, keeping the inhabitants well out of border disputes. Sif could still remember her father worrying about the minor skirmishes with Helheim. And yet, this ruler had stepped forward, content to remain within her realm. With the coming prosperity and peace, Sif hadn’t ever thought about why. If the denizens of Helheim were all vermin most foul, why was Hela any different. An easy answer was that she wasn’t of Helheim. 

Of course, it was silly that Loki’s daughter, of all people would be sent to Helheim, especially without a trial of some sort. Sif had initially chuckled at the Midgardian’s theory of the relationship between the Liesmith and the ruler of Helheim.

Then she read about Fenrir. Fenrir was a giant wolf shapeshifter said to terrorize Asgard in the end times. When Asgard falls, Fenrir is to be a part of the attack. Sif still remembered Tyr’s face when the existence of Fenrir was spoken of. Tyr was a young noble’s son, who had sparred often with Thor in their youth. He was high in the palace guards and Sif had met him upon their return to Asgard. She’d liked him immediately. When they sparred he refused to hold back, giving her the benefit of a true warrior of Asgard. A prophecy from his childhood stated that when Ragnarok came for Asgard, Tyr would be set upon by a beast named Fenrir, who would claim his hand within giant jaws. Tyr had been so upset upon hearing the prophecy as a child, he'd told the entire court at a wail.

This prophecy had made it to Midgard’s stories as well, yet Fenrir was said to be a child of Loki. Tyr and Loki always spoke with respect to each other. In fact, Tyr was one of the few guards Loki sought out for company on occasion. Mention of this prophecy had always made Tyr nervous, but looking back, Loki’s face had turned black at the mentions too. Sif had attributed that to his friendship for the warrior, but maybe it was more?

Sif had been raised in a Noble Household. She knew better than most how many twists nobility could put into insults and pandering. She hadn’t the time for the simpering cowardice necessary to take her father’s place in the High Council. Yet, she had been educated in it enough. Enough to know what lies would fall, should someone pick at them.

The myth of Jormander caught her attention next, as the end of Thor. She spent many moments in prayer that Thor had no such prophecy about himself, and that this one was a Midgardian invention. Prophecies were personal things on Asgard. The previous Court Mage had been exceptional at them. But the prophecy was only told to those affected or mentioned in the prophecy and none others. Even the parents of the child were not told. At least not by the seer. If there was a prophecy about Thor, only Thor and this Jormander creature would have been told, were they locatable.

Sif’s own prophecy had filled her with mixed reactions. She’d never told a soul, not even her parents.

_Child of Nobility, your path is clear_

_Tis not freedom, you should fear_

_Share not thy woes or worry fast_

_until your strength is ready to last_

_Rule of Law, Writ and Speak_

_Holds not the strength that you seek_

_For love profound, for heart so true_

_Accept not any man that woo_

_the heart of one meant for a wife_

_But meant for protection of dearest life_

_So train and work and tarry not_

_And you shall live what you wrought_

_As a shield, a vanguard_

_Or else be the fall of Asgard._

Those words had seared meaning into Sif, as surely as a brand upon flesh. The Mage had looked upon her kindly, sorrow for the burden placed upon one so young. Sif had already known she’d hated nobility training, and yet, she hadn’t found another path yet. Hadn’t found, until that afternoon the mage found her digging up a sword she’d found buried by the stables. She dropped the sword immediately, but the Mage had picked it back up and placed it in her small hands.

Sif had carried it the whole way home, crying. She hid until her bed with the sword. She’d felt like she’d been waiting to hear what was said her whole life. Everyone said prophecies gave you strength, guidance. Those with prophecies were blessed by fate. Yet, Sif felt, not blessed, but cursed. Cursed with the knowledge that Asgard would fall. Unless Sif could find her strength. If not, Ragnarok would cease being a tale and start being a truth.

She’d asked Thor once what his idea of Prophecy entailed. It had been at a celebratory feast, both of them slightly drunk, watching the dancing. Thor had turned from the dancing at her question, but not to look her way, but to look out, at the expanse beyond their home. For a long time, he looked. Then he quietly spoke, “Prophecy gives us time and hope. Nothing more and nothing less.” It was the first time Sif had seen behind Thor’s constantly jovial demeanor to the more august Prince. Thor had downed the remainder of his drink and they’d never spoken of it since. But Sif had gotten the feeling that Thor had a prophecy of his own. And now Sif prayed it wasn’t this.

Although those three would be coincidental and Sif could ignore, it was the last child of Loki that had frozen her blood, Sleipnir. Stories told of the Stallion Odin rode into battle long ago, Svadilfari, but by the time Sif had joined the palace, the older Stallion had been retired and the younger stallion, Sleipnir had been Odin’s ride of choice. Sleipnir was never to leave the stable unless Odin, himself, appeared. Even Thor was forbidden to move the creature. Sif knew Loki and Thor liked the horse. Loki spoiled the horse rotten every chance he got, bringing apples and sugar cubes. Thor often could be talked into giving the horse rub downs. A magnificent horse said to be able to make it into Helhiem and back before the guards could notice the intrusion. Sif felt a bit ill. If Hela was Loki’s Daughter and Sleipner was Loki’s son then they were siblings. 

Sif set the tablet down. There were two other children, but not much was known about them. They barely appeared in any reference. In any event, what she’d read now was certainly enough. At first, the day before, she’d put the stories aside in disgust. But after some time of watching the Mage sleep, which was thoroughly dull, she’d picked the tablet up again. She’d been determine to enjoy the Midgardian’s utterly inaccurate prose. Then the insults continued. She picked up and set down the tablet numerous times. The House JARVIS was probably thinking her crazy. Yet, she kept picking the tablet up. And the more she read the less certain she was about her ruler. And the more she lost her certainty, the more ill she felt. To the point where Lord Stark had to insist she eat so that Thor did not think her starving and him inhospitable. 

When Loki awoke a short time ago, she’d expected pity, or maybe compassion. She hadn’t expected anger. She remained unsure towards whom the anger aimed, and yet, anger roiled within her gut. She glanced at the mage where he spoke with the Captain of these Midgardian Warriors. Whatever the message from Thor contained, they were clearly at odds about it. 

Sif may not have much experience reading the Captain, but Loki’s body language was plain: disbelief. The mage exuded irritation and complete denial of the entreaties from the Captain. Had she not been ordered out, she’d enter herself to assist the Captain in at least convincing the mage that his brother was on his side. She was rather certain the message claimed that to some effect. Still, Loki’s face grew more stubborn and Sif sighed internally. If there was one trait the two brothers shared in abundance, it was to be completely obdurate in their beliefs. It was both handy and incredibly frustrating.

Still, it had given Sif time to look at her anger. Was she angry at Odin? Perhaps. That seemed to be simmering in the back, possibly awaiting confirmation. Anger at Loki then? Sif considered this seriously a moment. Her teacher in the sword had hammered hard how important tracking emotions was when wielding a sword. The sword made every emotion a cut. But if you didn’t know the emotion well enough, it cut you before anyone else. Sometimes she wished this was taught to all Warriors.

Her anger at Loki surprised her initially. If she was right, he was a victim here. So why point anger at him? She considered and discarded ‘habit’ as a possibility, since they had always blamed Loki for things, yet this felt different. Before, blaming Loki and being angry at him had felt fun, almost a relief. This felt hotter, somehow. Tracing the anger back, she felt betrayal. More than betrayal, fear. She was angry at Loki because, if these stories held truth, her king was not who she thought him to be. Far from it, his danger to not only her friends but to herself was extreme. This betrayal appeared because Loki existed. And that was why her anger glanced towards the bed-ridden mage. 

Sif frowned. She was also angry at herself. This, at least, was familiar. She’d been angry at herself before. She put that aside, already well aware of how to handle that. Instead, she focused on damping down her anger with Loki and focused on piecing together the shortest and quickest question that would confirm or deny her suspicions. Loki was _the_ master of avoiding a topic he disliked and his title of Liesmith was not undeserved. By the time Steve seemed to settle back on the chair next to a sullen Loki, Sif had figured out her exact phrasing. 

When it seemed appropriate, she halted outside the doorway and knocked. Loki’s irritable gaze jumped to hers in an instant only to widen in surprise before every emotion retreated behind those masks of his, a grim sort of resolve left in its place. Sif kept herself the picture of formal respect for the younger prince of Asgard as Captain Steve invited her in.

She stood at the bed and tipped her head forward. Since she hadn’t the chance to speak prior to the Captain banishing everyone, now she did so, “I am to remain and accompany you, Prince Loki, on Midgard util the return of your brother, on the orders of Prince Thor.”

Loki blinked at her and she thought she might have actually surprised him. That thought gave her a rush of pride, it was rare to surprise Loki. He frowned and glanced at Captain Steve a moment. “Yes, the good Captain was just informing me of my brother’s inexplicable desire that I remain here under guard whilst he does verbal battle back home. I fail to see the purpose that would serve.”

Sif frowned a little, “He goes to do battle in your name.”

Loki scoffed. “And accomplish what? The many skills of Thor do not include convincing those blowhards on the council of anything.”

Sif had to acknowledge that a battle of words did not come high on Thor’s skillset, but a determined Thor was nothing easy to ignore either. Instead she shrugged, “My orders from my prince remain.”

Loki rolled his eyes and Sif allowed a small smile. The formalities of court bored them both silly and had been a bonding point for them early on. “And pray tell, what are you going to do should I choose to leave?”

Sif noted Captain Steve’s grumpy frown at this, but ignored it. “I shall follow and serve as your guard until Thor relieves me of this duty.”

Again, Sif had surprised the liesmith. Loki’s eyes widened a moment and he blinked at her in confusion. “And when will you return your wayward ward to Asgard?”

This time Sif gave him a full grin that usually remained reserved for Thor, “When my prince deems it necessary and informs me of such.”

Loki frowned. “You cannot tell me the Council is just going to let me wander about without yanking my leash.”

Sif almost winced at the pet reference, but she banished that in favor of shrugging again. “My loyalty is to Prince Thor.” She eyed him, this time with a knowing smirk, “You have some experience with that, I believe.”

Loki blinked at her, completely nonplussed and she almost gave into the urge to giggle. She’d never live it down. Instead Loki sighed and flopped back on the bed. Captain Steve patted the blanket gently.

“See? You’ve been protected. So hush and let us actually guard you!” Captain Steve said with a chuckle. Loki glared at the Captain, who ignored it, at his own peril Sif thought. Loki’s pranks were well known for a reason. Perhaps a diversion would help, beside Loki didn’t appear strong enough to leave the bed quite yet. Sif had noticed earlier that he’d had trouble even holding a glass, and now he was starting t look a bit wan.

“I do have a question, Prince Loki?”

Loki eyed her after that bland statement with deep suspicion, but he waved his hand as permission.

“I was wondering if you knew the relationship between four individuals from your travels?”

Loki quirked an eyebrow at her, intrigued. He always loved telling stories of his travels, though some of them were clearly falsified. He also clearly understood she was trying to distract him and would let her get away with it for the moment. “And who has caught the attention of the Lady Sif?”

His teasing tone reminded her of days spent relaxing after a hard day’s work in battle. She let a small grin steal across her face a moment before looking him in the eye, “How well do Sleipner, Hela, Fenrir and Jormander know each other.”

Sif watched as Loki’s face paled. Either he was more injured than she thought, or this was worse than she predicted, to show such a reaction. Either way, it caught Captain Steve’s attention and he stood quickly, placing a hand on Loki’s shoulder.

Loki shook it off, his face going red with anger, “What is thisssss!?!” Sif watched with alarm as Loki’s face continued to darken, past red, it was now tinging purple. Even his eyes were gaining a red overtone. “Is this the new punishment? Is this what the mighty King of Asgard has decided?” He hissed, struggling up, even against Captain Steve’s protests. Sif took a step back as Loki seemed to grow where he sat. The door opened and Healer Bruce hurried in.

Loki ignored them to spit at Sif, “Tell them that if they lay one finger on them, one strand of hair out of place, I will burn Asgard to the ground! Watch me!”

Sif stumbled out of the room at the leader’s urging as Captain Steve tried to regain Loki’s attention with little success. Two pair of hands pulled her back away from the door and Lord Stark also entered the room, slamming the door shut behind him. She glanced over to see Lady Natasha and Archer Clint watching the room with grim concern. Scribe Phil approached a moment later, requesting a report.

Throughout it all Sif could barely take her eyes off the almost frothing Mage in the bed just past the frosting glass. She thought she _had_ seen Loki angry.

She was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be taking another break from this to post another story in my Way Leads Onto Way series next week, but never fear, I shant leave Loki frothing at the mouth :)   
> Do you like my take on Sif? On Loki?
> 
> I made up Dagny, but not Brokk and Eitri(which is disgusting in so many ways)


	5. Through the Window Pane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki finds that these Midgardian Creatures are more than he thought. They see more than he'd guessed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up - Trigger warning for brain control(through telepathic torture), racism, medical horror, and abuse of power
> 
> This took me a while because each time I tries to proof the last few paragraphs I almost threw up. I needed to get it out there though, so...

Tony hated magic.

He was just going to say that now. 

Magic had all sorts of rules that made absolutely no sense to him. SHIELD’s files on the phenomenon showed no logic, no standard and no references. So magic was a mystery that seemed to obey unknown rules and Tony had no one around who could help him figure it out. And since he had yet to actually use magic of his own accord, he couldn’t study the damn thing. So he hated magic!

That said, magic users fell into three categories for him these days: worthless, annoying, and aggravating. The first were the charltons that scattered the streets and attended birthday parties, and the latter were misguided individuals who decided to include breaking the law, often along with property and people, as their daytime agenda. That tended to encompass the majority of magic users. In fact, until he felt nothing but sympathy for Loki, he only had the two categories. As with the last time, Loki’s presence severely altered Tony’s perspective on reality.

So now he had a Godling Frost Giant suffering from imprisonment and what sounded like torture recovering in his medbay. And the only person who had any real clue about the guy had left to confront some Daddy-issues. 

How was this his life?

When Loki’s punishment for his crimes had been explained earlier, Tony had felt light headed. He’d helped send the mage to that place. Reviewing the footage should have been his first act, he should have tried to understand what happened, anything. Yet, he’d been happy to wash his hands of the troublesome sneak. As had everyone else. Even Thor only mentioned being upset that Loki had betrayed him, but not anything more recent. Tony had simply assumed the godling wasn’t ready to visit and face his traitorous brother, not that he’d been completely unaware of Loki’s treatment.

So now Tony found himself housing the man not responsible, but blamed, for the worst attack in human history. His legal department was going to have a coronary. Tony had started worrying about that, actually. He personally, and to a lesser extent, Stark International, had been picking up the tab on a lot of Avenger things since the fall of SHIELD. The numbers shifted a bit, but overall, they were stable enough that Tony could predict the future. And the prediction stated, this couldn’t last. For one thing, Tony and SI would run out of money. For another, his legal advisors were finding new and uglier ways this could drown both him and the company in legal issues. Enough to close down Stark International. That would be nearly 400,000 people out of work from SI alone, let alone the ripple effect. He couldn’t maintain the status quo like this.

When SHIELD fell, Fury had transferred the Avengers accounts over to Tony upon his purchase of the rights to the Avengers. It had been a failsafe Fury had set up and Tony had accepted early on. Between that and his own fortune, Tony could sustain this another two years before the crunch would impact SI financially. Legal was a different issue. The problems were piling up and Tony was being buried. Pepper helped where she could, but she had a company to think of, and thank Frigga Tony had transferred that to her before this mess. Rhodey had already pointed out, they needed political and legal connections.

Tony fingered a business card he’d gotten a few months ago. General Ross had been named Secretary of State by President Obama for his new term and many international politicians were unhappy with the appointment. Tony understood why the appointment made sense, Obama needed support from congress that the current leanings denied. Still, the man was an insufferable ass with delusions of power dangerously close to mad scientist level of human rights concern. As such, when Matt Rycroft approached Tony in the UK about helping with international rules for the Avengers, Tony took the card politely and held on to it. 

Now seemed the time to take it back out. Talks of regulations of mutants were spreading around the nation quickly. Ross was overtaking the international community in starting legislation and Tony really needed it to be the other way around. International precedent would help keep the bastard’s greedy hand off people he had no right to. Even in international waters, there was a high chance of things going awry, but Tony needed back up. 

He’d just started requesting the phone call from JARVIS when an alarm popped up. Loki’s readings moved towards awareness, at least Bruce thought so. Tony sighed and set the card on his desk again and jogged out of the room. 

The medbay was no more chaotic than any other time there was a patient in the area. Bruce and Helen were discussing readings quietly while Phil coaxed Loki into communicating. “JARVIS, has Steve been notified?”

“Yes Sir. Captain Rogers on his way back to the tower now, ETA 21 minutes.”

Tony nodded in acknowledgement and joined Bruce and Helen in their discussion of sensors and which were most accurate for least annoyance value to the patient. 

When Steve arrived, they moved their discussion out of the room and down the hall where they could fiddle with a computer and recorded readings. For the most part, Tony was content to let Steve handle the personality that accompanied those readings, and his bodyguard. 

Less than 30 minutes later, he regretted it. Shouts from down the hallway drew their attention and had Tony, at least, striding for the room. Asgard Xena was standing outside the room with the assassitwins as he breezed past them into the room where Steve was attempting to calm down a nearly hysterical, and slightly blue, Jotunn. Calling JARVIS to frost the viewing window, Tony grimaced. Tony wasn’t sure if Mulan back there knew about Loki’s birth, but this wasn’t the time for her to find out a member of her race’s mortal enemies lay injured in bed. 

“Freezing may be easier, Jack Frost.” Tony interrupted Loki’s shouts of fire and brimestone on Asgard for some attack they’d yet to do. It didn’t stop the purple patient as much direct his attention away from the door, which Tony slammed shut as soon as he’d entered, while waving at JARVIS for privacy in the windows.

“Oh, I’ll freeze them! I’ll shatter their bones and-”

“And make bread, got it Giant boy.” Tony quipped. Steve was glaring at him next to the bed where he’d been trying to calm Loki down. Tony ignored him. Loki didn’t want to be calmed down. It was a state of mind Tony was intimately familiar with.

“You mock me? I have power beyond your comprehension! All of Asgard shall-”

“huddle by their campfires?”

Loki’s red eyes were a touch disconcerting, but they at least remained fixed on Tony now. “You presume there would be campfires left.” Now that Loki was focusing on something actually in the room, Tony could work at calming the godling down a bit.

“Well, if you took away campfires, you couldn’t have hot cocoa and that would be cruel and unusual punishment.”

Loki snarled, “If they lay one finger on my children, cruel will be the least of their troubles. I learned a lot at the mercy of Thanos.”

Tony swallowed a growl of his own. He hated when people targeted kids. Instead he focused on something that would circle the conversation back to Loki. Parental anger couldn’t, and probably shouldn’t, be reasoned with. “This Thanos guy has mercy?”

Loki scoffed, “The universe is his mercy, that death awaits us after being in his clutches is a boon.”

Tony felt bile rise, remembered Arabic demands echoing in his eyes for a moment. “Not in his clutches now, Jokey Smurf. Just about to brain Cap over there with the IV machine.” Tony waved at Steve briefly. Loki regained more of his composure, and pinker skin tone. 

“I’ve been informed I’m under protection. Is that different that imprisonment?” Loki’s question held irritation instead of anger now and Tony felt his body relax down from high alert.

“You wanna go? You can walk far enough, there’s the door. Course, Andraste is out there and will likely just follow you.” Tony waved at the door, which remained shut.

Loki grimaced. “I doubt that now that my true visage is known.”

Tony shrugged, “She didn’t see much this time. As long as she didn’t already know, she still doesn’t. Besides, Thor pulled the kicked-my-puppy eyes. Have you ever seen the kicked-my-puppy eyes?” Tony grinned as a wry shadow of a smile crossed Loki’s face.

“He is good at them,” the mage muttered. Then Loki grimaced. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper.”

“Yeah, kind of confirmed her question, didn’t you?” Tony had been reading the lead up to the argument on his glasses display while bickering with Loki now that the Jotunn was more in control. “Hey!” 

Loki tried to get out of bed again. Steve hopped forward to stabilize his arm before the mage fell out of the bed. “I need to get to them. If she knows, then the court knows.”

“Woah, easy there, Ice Smurf.”

Loki attempted to shrug off Steve’s assistance before wincing and leaning more fully on him. “They will go after them!”

“They don’t know squat. Xena there figured it out from our records. She’s spent the last day reading our Asgardian myths. She just put two and two together.”

“Still, Heimdal-”

“Can't see you.” That brought Loki to a halt. He looked at Tony a moment in confusion, but Tony thought he saw desperation in that gaze. “Before Point Break left to chat with Daddy-dearest, which he’s not by the way, he said your hidey shield was up and working. Creepy Santa can’t see us.”

Loki just blinked at him, whether in more confusion or in hope, Tony was uncertain. Steve, while helping the man back into bed, spoke, “What Tony is trying to say is that Thor wouldn’t have left before your magic protected you from Heimdal’s eyes. He said it was one of the first spells that started up again as you healed. Anything within twice a grown man’s height around you is shielded.”

Loki looked at Steve, then turned his head to Tony. “They’re safe?”

No one got the chance to respond. The next moment the green eyes rolled up and back and Steve was pouring him back into bed as Tony called JARVIS to send in Bruce and Helen. Loki must have been running on fumes since he awoke an hour earlier. Tony could relate. His escape from the Ten Rings hadn’t been done on a lot of sleep either. He’d only been conscious when Rhodey found him out of sheer stubborn self-preservation. Its amazing how much energy you find when you think your life depends on it.

He glanced at the mess of machines near the bed and corrected himself; or if your family’s life depended on it. Loki had kids.  _ Well, shit! _

He left Bruce and Steve to work with the unconscious patient while he exited to speak with Sif. He found Phil sitting with her while the assassitwins watched her carefully. Sif simply stared at the reflective window beyond which was her charge. 

Tony sighed. Mentally grumbling about how much experience he was getting in babysitting, he snapped his fingers. “Yo, Xena!”

It took a moment, but she did eventually look at him. “My name is Sif, Lord Stark.”

Tony huffed, what was with Asgardians and giving him all these noble names. “First, my name is Tony. Say it with me, ‘To-Nee’.”

She didn’t look impressed, but she was focused on him now. “Excellent, second, you can guard from out here for a while.”

“My prince-”

“Reindeer Games is out again. Apparently, he used all his energy up arguing with you.” Tony quipped. Sif’s face seemed to fall into something between confusion and concern. Tony glanced at Coulson and received a nod. Tony nodded back, content to leave the interrogation to the spies. 

He had a UN representative to wrangle.

* * *

When Loki woke again, it took him a moment to remember where he was. This aspect of Midgard was not one he was familiar with. Wincing, he pulled himself upright. He remembered Sif’s callous, smirking question. As if she weren’t threatening the most important beings in Loki’s life. Her fear as he raged at her was well worth the loss of control in front of the Midgardians Thor had taken up with. Loki immediately checked on the magical protection around himself and found his base spells were indeed intact, just like Man of Iron said. That helped a bit. 

He huffed a sigh and glanced around. At first glance, he was alone. But then he spotted the Archer curled up in the corner on the cabinet. When the glittering eyes met his, he spoke, “Are you here to kill me?”

He heard a soft snort from the shadowed form. Slowly, the man uncurled a bit to dangle one leg off the piece of furniture he’d re-purposed as a perch. “Nah.”

Loki frowned at him, but the Archer had never been one for explanations. It had made him a good asset both to Loki and to others. Loki glanced away under the guise of looking around. “My brother would not be hard to fool, should you do so.”

The Archer cocked his head. “I could.”

Loki glanced at him sharply. The Archer shrugged. “I know how to make something not appear, not be seen.”

Loki wasn’t sure whether that was comforting or concerning. Still, this Archer could do no worse than Thanos and that stone.

“You look better with green eyes.”

Loki blinked at him in complete confusion. “I beg your pardon?”

“Your eyes.” The archer waved his bow a bit, presumably to draw attention to Loki’s eyes. “Nat said I looked goofy with those bright blue eyes. You look better with green.”

Loki felt the bed swallow him as his ears started to ring a bit. “I have always had green eyes, Mortal.”

Clint regarded him a moment before looking away. “Yeah.” 

They were quiet for some time, with Loki staring at the Archer, waiting him out. Initially, his companion seemed to meet the challenge, but soon the Archer chuckled softly to himself and muttered something about stubbornness. Loki raised an eyebrow in curiosity. 

“I was burned badly in a fire once.” The Archer said, still not meeting Loki’s gaze. “My whole back got it pretty bad. They had to do this thing, debridement. It removes the burned skin so it doesn’t damage the healthy, new skin. They had to peel it off.”

Loki saw a shudder crawl over the strong body. “Hypersensitive burns and they were peeling skin off. I can still feel it.” Now the Archer met Loki’s eyes with a gaze so intense that Loki had a hard time holding it. “Then that staff of yours did the same thing to my mind.”

Loki shuddered fine shivers, recoiling slightly, but the Archer kept talking. “But you were kind too. Like those Docs, you only took the top layers you needed. My underbelly was intact, if a bit battered and bruised.”

Loki flinched. Thankfully, the Archer had deliberately turned his gaze away. “I’ve been healing since, you know. Mentally. I’ve seen the vid of myself.” Here the Archer did shudder a moment. “But your image. They didn’t just take the top layer, did they?”

Loki reared back in shock as he realized just what the Archer had guessed. The endless void of the mind stone peeling magical shield back one by one, tearing it from his aura leaving lagged tissue floating behind. And as each skin was peeled back,  _ He _ was there. Filling the remaining space with his putrid odious touch. Then that would disappear on the surface of the next layer the mind stone took.

Loki had been so weak when they’d found him, exhausted from holding his soul together in the eternal void. Even their chains had been a welcome form of contact. 

“I think you should refrain from comparing myself to a Midgardian with no mental skills.” Loki growled, feeling sick to his back teeth.

The archer shrugged. “Exactly. You used a weapon I couldn’t hope to battle. Pushed just enough to get what you needed, and no more.”

Loki grimaced as his statement failed to get a rise out of the Midgardian. He was so lost in that annoyance that he almost missed when the man started talking again.

“But this guy, he used a weapon you could fight with, didn’t he? He didn’t stop at loyalty, he wanted something else.”

Loki snarled quietly and the Archer fell silent. For a moment they just stared at each other. Then Loki slowly started speaking. “Yessssss.” He growled. “Mercy is the death provided at the end.”

The Archer held his eyes, but Loki saw no pity. “Beyond magic, there are learned barriers. Beyond those is the innate strength we are born with.” The Archer’s eyes bore into his as the man spoke, voice quiet, calm, and yet Loki only saw understanding. Understanding for something the Midgardian couldn’t possibly understand. No Midgardian could.

“He peeled back the shell of the egg, then the white to see the yellow yolk left.” The steady breathing didn’t change as Loki heard the near silent words exit the Archer’s mouth. “They peeled back the skin of the yolk. They exposed what should never be exposed.”

Loki let out a breath in a whistle. The archer stopped, waiting, it seemed. Loki clenched his fist in the sheets and forced himself to swallow the gag sensation and with it the memory. Because the Archer was right. Loki had lost the container that held his sense of self. The true thing all are born with when sentient. They cracked it open and lay it bare like the nerve fiber of the groin. Then, instead of draining it, of removing it and letting Loki turn into a shell of himself,  _ He _ had stuck his beefy finger in, covered in grim, and stirred. The disgusting swirls of contamination streaked throughout the soul, full of barbs to prick him as he worked to close the tears surrounding it before it spilled out. How could he collect all the barbs? How do you collect a drop of crude oil in milk?

Loki whined softly a moment before looking at the Archer again. the Archer didn’t speak. Instead he maintained a steady, stable gaze. Full of something. Not pity, for that would break Loki, and not sympathy, for that would enrage him. The Archer’s gaze was full of something else that Loki found so much better. Like he could take a moment and truly let himself show the horror.

_ Acceptance _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, shaking off the shivers. What do you guys think? Was my description evocative enough? Also Debridement is a thing and scares the crap out of me.
> 
> I had a lot of fun looking up female warriors for Tony to use as nicknames. Anyone want to volunteer some?
> 
> So Yes, Loki has kids. I"ll explain how that works as we go :)


	6. See Beneath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sif and Loki both must see beneath the surface to understand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I poured some of my frustration at being a woman in a traditionally male field into this so its a teeny bit ultra feminist. I kind of think this would be how Sif would have responded though. And I think its how Frigga handles her husband. And on some level, I feel this is how Thor handled Loki

Sif fought the urge to fidget. Pointed questions from the trio of warriors had led her thoughts down even further the path she hated to tread. Loki’s reaction had all but confirmed his care for those she named. If Midgardian legend were to be believed, and it now seemed likely, her king, father of her princes had done several most grievous wrongs to his youngest son.

And yet why? Odin had never shown directly to the courts, this utter disregard for the good graces of Loki, even when exposing his dismay over the mage’s chosen fighting method. While, The mighty Allfather did show a preference for Thor’s habits, Loki had been given many rights and tasks as second Prince. Including the honor of the Queen’s apprentice.

And yet, with the feminine roles came the feminine lot in courtly life. Loki, with no chance of drawing a political husband, fell into the corner of scorn Sif had desperately and determinedly beat herself out of. But, for his birth as male, he had no lady to explain that which all courtly ladies knew. The ways of subtle, undeniable control that the women of power utilized over their often more hard-headed male counterparts were not taught to the male second prince. Nay, no woman would ever inform a man of power of the scorn women choked down to allow the more fragile male egos their sup. This was indeed told of all girls and, while Sif had scorned such second-hand power, she knew of it, and of the games played. 

Yet, Loki, taking on a traditionally feminine role in Thor’s court as both head mage and chief ruler-wrangler, had to learn these rules the hard way. Sif Often saw the Queen regard her children with regret and wondered if this was part of that regret coloring those strong eyes.

Sif could well remember the disastrous coronation of Thor that was halted. Sif had elected to stand with Loki and Frigga, foreswearing her warrior position for that of adviser and guide in this. As she had prepared with Lady Frigga and Loki, a guard had come to fetch the younger prince. Sif had thought she’d imagined Loki’s look of surprise, dismissing it as the Liesmith weaving a tale for the benefit of the servants. Yet now, she wondered. Could that have truly been Loki’s confusion over Thor’s regard? Thor had held Loki in high esteem, yet maybe, unused to the feminine place proper, Loki could not see that.

When he rejoined them at the side of the throne he had a complicated look, though she recognized the glare he threw one of the servants. Another servant had felt high enough to scorn Loki’s power, Sif had rolled her eyes at the stupidity of the servants angering the top magic user in the castle.

Then Thor had entered. 

The cheers had drawn smiles from all who stood for him on the pedestal. The Warriors three had given in a few times to join the crowd while Sif had remembered her own smile at the antics. But looking back, Sif remembered that the family of the proud son-to-be Crown Prince hadn't shared in the revelry. Even her queen had only smiled at Thor’s wink.

The speech of Odin Allfather had dragged slowly. Yet with every oath Thor swore, so too did Sif. And now, she guessed, so too did Loki. Thor’s advisor, the prince had said before leaving. Loki was who he’d always heard above all others, whether he agreed or valued the mage or not. When they went to Jotunheim, he didn’t try to convince Loki, so sure in his brother’s company and support.

And Loki had done what was needed. He’d warned a guard to save his brother. He’d taken the throne until Thor was again worthy in the eyes of their father. And he’d protected Asgard, even amidst a family tragedy the warriors did not understand.

Sif still did not understand, for neither Thor nor his mother would speak of it. And yet, Sif saw it in their eyes, their body and their souls. After their return from Jotunheim, Loki had spoke not of his jealousy but of Thor’s choices. Sif looked at those choices now, with this new lens and saw what she’d been taught to see before. Loki and Thor were no couple, bound by marriage, and yet in many ways, Loki tamed Thor’s edges as Thor defended Loki’s rights. Brothers they were.

And Sif would defend her Prince’s brother to death.

* * *

_ You took me for a purpose, what was it? _

Loki heaved a gasping breath as he awoke from the dream. 

_ There’s always a purpose to everything your father does. _

His mother’s soft words rang through his head. Frigga had meant them as comforting, but to Loki, they’d been heart breaking. He’d demanded that answer from the Allfather only to never get it. Loki could feel nothing but torment in his heart and aura as Odinsleep started. 

These words also gave him an idea. He’d already laid the groundwork for Thor to have some back-up in the form of those four idiots. But if Odin had intended Thor to return, perhaps the Mjolnir spell was the key. Loki had traveled to Midgard to find his brother bumbling about, foolishly ignoring the lesson Odin was trying to teach him.

Loki needed Thor to focus. His brother never could unless the family needed him to focus. That was how Loki pushed him. The spell Odin had placed on Mjolnir was a simple one, if eternally binding. None but Thor’s line could lift it now. And only when the heart of the wielder cared for naught but to save another.

Well, Loki could work with that.

Loki remembered watching the four idiots join his brother on Midgard. He’d sent the Destroyer after them. The best way to get his warrior brother to care more for another’s life than his own glory was to put another life at risk. By the time Thor returned, there would be some reason to spare Heimdal the treason conviction. Plus, freeing Heimdal from his service to Loki gave him the freedom to bring Thor home.

He watched over the fight between the Destroyer and Thor’s friends. He waited for them to finally retreat, for Thor to save their lives, finally. Then Thor stood proud in front of the Destroyer. Loki heard Thor. He heard him believe that Loki had betrayed him. That he still loved his brother anyway. 

Loki had swallowed and did what had to be done. He’d linked with the Destroyer as the King of Asgard and redirected the attack from a blast, which would kill his brother to a backhand. Something Thor could survive. 

Then Loki sat back and waited. He waited for Odin’s plan, his magic to snap into place. For the glorious brother Loki had loved his whole life to finally take his place as the possible King Loki knew he wanted to be.

Originally, Loki had hoped his brother would be back soon enough. The armies of Asgard would suffer heavy losses in another war with Jotunheim. Perhaps with Thor and Loki, they could find a peace. But until then, Jotenheim’s army was massing. Loki needed a back-up plan, a way to protect Asgard, his mother and home.

Blinking away the memories, Loki glanced around and found himself alone in the medical room at Stark’s tower. He pulled a basic illusion over himself, certain that he was still watched in some form. Under the comforting cover of an illusion, Loki pulled himself into a ball. Those days haunted his rest. He’d not wanted that stress, that burden. He’d wanted to help Thor shoulder it, not take it for himself. People saw him as jealous of Thor, power-mad, but what idiot gave himself more work to do? Ruling was hard, exhausting, unforgiving work. Better that Thor handled the annoying aspect as the King of Asgard.

Loki bit his lip, wincing as it pulled on the stitch wound still healing. His back-up plan to destroy Jotunheim had been an act of desperation, he could see that now. The army was still day from marching. Loki’s assassination of their leader had seen to that. Yet, the thought of killing his father, either of them, had driven all rational thought from Loki’s head.

He’d looked at the fathers, one dead and one nearly so, and fled the scene. They’re the very proof that he’d nothing left. He had to protect Frigga. For Thor. For his sons. For his daughter. Asgard couldn’t fall, even though he had. Thor was not his brother. Mjolnir proved that.

Loki was not of Thor’s line. That was why he couldn't lift the hammer, why he could never lift the hammer. Everyone said he’d never be worthy, but they didn’t understand. It wasn’t that he’d ever been worthy of the throne, or even of his father’s regard. 

He’d never been worthy of being Thor’s brother.

In the mortal medical room, hidden under an illusion of rest, for the first time since his imprisonment following his fall into the void, Loki sobbed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think one more chapter and then this story is done!
> 
> "You took me for a purpose, what was it?" "There’s always a purpose to everything your father does." quotes from Thor's 1st movie
> 
> Also, for those of you following my series, Steve can lift the Hammer. Loki's assumption about the spell is incorrect, just a heads up


	7. Its the Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems Loki has more in common here than he realized. Perhaps more than in the place he was raised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it! I'm dedicating this chapter to [ RikasGrayWolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikasGrayWolf) for making my day on Sunday. She is totally awesome!!!!!!!

It took Loki a moment after the door had opened and closed for Loki to look up from his balled position. His magic had told him that Man of Iron had entered the room, but all the mortal had done was sit on the chair next to his and poke at the odd flat communications device in his hand. Loki’s illusion of a sleeping mage was strong so Loki took some time to calm himself and rearrange himself into a more impenetrable visage.

“What brings you to my bedside?”

Lord Stark, as Sif had called him, looked up. He lowered his glasses enough to glance at Loki over them a moment before looking back at his device.

“Soooo, I thought you should know. Your illusion spells are light based. With some sound tossed in but mostly light based.” 

Loki blinked in confusion. “You came to speak of light?”

Lord Stark shrugged. “Well, it seemed a better topic than the other one so I went with it. I do that.”

“Not make sense?” Loki joked as he scrambled to try to catch up with this conversation.

Lord Stark coughed a laugh, “Yeah! That too.” Then he waved the air away, looking at his phone. “I also poke and prod.”

“I’ve heard. Often with many of those visual recording devices around.”

That earned him an outright laugh, even if Loki could feel a sense of bitter tension beneath. “Was that a sex joke? Did you just make a-oh my god, call the papers! Finally someone in this building I can speak with. We are going to have so much fun, Ice Princess.”

Loki growled. Lord Stark’s eyebrow raised a bit and Loki pulled back his magic. It wouldn’t do to freeze his host before he was ready to leave. The midgardian just chuckled, “No genderbending, got it. Your culture has the medieval approach to gender roles doesn’t it. Based on Xena’s responses and Thor’s odd feminism confusion.”

“I am not currently female, no.”

Lord Stak cocked his head to one side, “Not  _ currently _ ? Interesting.” He blinked a moment before heading off on another topic, “Anyway, want you to know from the owner/operator of this place: You are under Avenger’s protection.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. 

“That means, nobody gets to come and nab you. I’ve only got a few rules. But I’m very solid on them. One of my big rules is until I invite you in, don’t touch my stuff. You, Hot-Stuff, are now my-stuff. So All-Daddy and all others can be noped. That’s what that means.”

Loki blinked in surprise, lip curling in disgust, “I am not your anything!”

Lord Stark shrugged, “I’m eccentric, live with it. Anyway, people living here get the best presents. I see to it, you know. Or rather I build or pay those that see to it. Same difference. Like J, he’s good at it. J say ‘Hi’ to Prince Ice Cone.”

Loki frowned at the mortal, but a voice from the corner distracted him, “Welcome to Avengers Tower, Prince Loki. I am JARVIS. Please excuse Sir’s dislike of formal names and titles. I shall assist you as needed.”

The mortal frowned at the ceiling, “I heard that. You like him better than me. He’s your new favorite, isn’t he? I should re-code you for Burger King!”

“I tremble in fear, Sir.”

Lord Stark rolled his eyes, muttering to himself about sass. “Aaaanyway, anything you need. I mean within reason. And not my reason. I’m told my reason is not reasonable. Which is silly, because I’m the one paying so I should be the reason generating person, but not according to Pepper or Steve. I try not to argue with Pepper, she can be scary. I argue with Steve all the time. But he does have these eyes and this face. Like mega disappointment face and sad sad puppy eyes. You know what I’m talking about cause Thor has them too. But yeah, within their reason, anything you need.”

Loki smirked. “Anything?” he purred.

Lord Stark laughed. “Oh, I double doggie dare you to do that to Cap. Just to see his face turn the color of our star-spangled red! But yeah, anything. Food, bed, books, movies, got a lot of those, good conversation, got less of that these days,-”

He paused for a moment and then met Loki’s eyes of the glasses, “Therapist.”

Loki frowned in confusion. “Thera-what? A kind of healer?”

“Yeah, but not for the body.”

Loki froze. He looked at his companion carefully, “if not the body, what do they heal?” he asked carefully. “I was under the impression Midgardians did not practice magics.”

Lord Stark snorted. “It may seem like magic.” Then he turned serious. “They are just...if you need someone to talk to. Like Pep keeps telling me I should go. Talk about stuff.”

“Stuff?” Loki poured as much derision as possible in that word.

The man shrugged, “Yeah, stuff. Like my enforced vacation a couple years back. The fight.” He paused, “My father.”

Loki glanced at the man. The mortal looked away first, uncomfortable. “Yeah, Father’s that Sucks award goes around the place. You’re in company here.”

“Oh? Your father forget to rock you to sleep?” Loki snarled. Pitiful comparison to Loki’s own abandonment.

Lord Stark shrugged, looking away. “You know, convince everyone he cares, but not really caring. A son is just a means to an end, a thing he had to have. Had this stupid little box his kid was suppose to fit into and didn’t like it when reality didn’t quite meet expectations. Just normal Father sucks stuff.”

Loki bit his words before letting them out. That did sound disturbingly close to Loki’s experience. Swallowing the defensive diatribe, he went with something that may yield more information, “And when his son grew up?”

The mortal shrugged again, “He died first. Left my godfather in-charge. He was who I had to thank for my not-desired vacation in Afghani cave.” Loki saw a faint sallow take over the tan cheeks as Stark changed the subject. “Anyway, not comparing traumas. That was what the book thing said. Pepper had this worksheet. Something about trauma identification and recovery. It said not to compare traumas, all of them are different and the same. Stupid phrasing, how can they be different and the same. Those are not overlapping definitions!”

Stark frowned a moment before he seemed to realize he had an audience. “Aaaanyway, I wanted to let you know about the amenities. What kind of host would I be without that? I’ll give you a better tour when you can walk for more than 100 meters without passing out.”

Loki glared at him for that but Lord Stark probably missed it as he rose. “So, you just came to interrupt my sleep to tell me to take advantage of your hospitality?” His voice laced with sarcasm. 

Lord Stark turned to him and tapped his glasses, “I told you, your illusions are light and sound. J sees far more layers than that.”

With that revelation, the man ducked out of the room leaving Loki reeling. This JARVIS could see him even through his illusions? That was disconcerting. Was the creature magic? Did all enchantments not work on him?

Loki glanced at the source of the voice. He’d better start strategizing a way to find out.

Mostly because acknowledging the other bit of the message was too much right now. Stark hadn’t come because he was awake. He’d come because he’d seen Loki’s breakdown.

No, he’s not ready for that yet.

* * *

By the time his next visitor arrived, Loki had learned just how useful JARVIS could be. Not only was the being fully integrated into their abode, but he had near infinite reach of knowledge outside the Tower as well. Additionally, much like Frigga, he never tired of Loki’s questions.

Loki thoroughly enjoyed asking questions. One of the first was how Lord Stark could see him. JARVIS was quick to point out that ‘Sir’ preferred to be called Tony and had already asked JARVIS to correct the Asgard contingent in their home. Loki preened at getting that right before Sif. Afterwards, JARVIS explained IR sensors and much more to Loki, to his utter delight. He hadn’t been here long enough before to ask questions, and the circumstance would have ruined the fun anyway. Before, the last time he’d visited Midgard, he hadn’t found near so interesting technology.

He played with different illusions to understand what it was that JARVIS detected. The AI, that was what JARVIS called himself, was very cooperative in explaining what he saw of Loki with each new spell iteration. Loki suspected this could occupy him for a few days or more. He loved spell crafting.

However, he had more important matters. Once he was satisfied that there was no simple illusion spell that could shield him from JARVIS, he turned his attention to other matters of safety. JARVIS explained that there were basic safety requirements and levels in the tower. Certain situations would immediately notify Tony or the Captain, such as imminent bodily harm or severe emotional distress. Likewise, severe medical alarm would also likely bring the Monster’s cage running.

JARVIS also explained that Dr Banner did NOT wish to be reminded of Hulk on a continuing basis and had already firmly requested to be called NOT by his surname. JARVIS confided that the name was his father’s and while legally, he did have that name, it made him uncomfortable and Tony had finally convinced the man to admit it.

Loki could relate. 

Regardless, Dr Bruce would appear for medical issues. Lady Sif was outside his door and had been commanded not to enter by Tony himself. A command backed by the Captain. JARIVS suggested that if Loki wished to travel without Lady Sif, he should utilize the vents, that was the Archer’s approach. Loki was more fond of the window, but JARVIS claimed that barring proof of Loki’s flight capabilities, that would be considered putting himself in danger and thus result in calling all and sundry.

Loki was just trying to figure out how to seek out sustenance without an entourage following him when the door opened to his next visitor.

“Hey, JARVIS said you were awake.”

The dark-skinned mortal looked to be of military bearing and a confident nature. Loki vaguely remembered this man talking with him in his enchanted state. He found himself relaxing without permission, a kind of hold over from that.

The mortal set a tray of what was probably food on a swing metal that settled over Loki’s lap. “I don’t know if you remember me, I’m James Rhodes. You can call me Jim.”

Loki glanced up briefly from inspecting the food stuffs, “With a younger brother, yes, I recall.” Loki returned his attention to the bizarre concoction that might have meat within its makings. “What is this?”

The man, Jim, laughed. “Its a cheeseburger. Tony insisted that if this was the first real midgardian meal you were going to try, it would be a cheeseburger. I talked him into leaving the cheese on the side and letting you add it as you want.”

Jim had pointed to the flat yellow substance that did not look like he was used to cheese looking like. Still he watched as Jim piled the various bits onto the bread and take a bite. Jim hummed contently, so it must taste good to the mortal. “Its one of Tony’s favorite foods so…” he waved his hand, possibly in encouragement.

Loki looked at the various piled of options curiously before stacking them on the bread, much as Jim had. It was an interesting mix of flavors, with one sharp note that rang unpleasantly. Once he’d sniffed that out though, the food was quite savory with a nice hit of tang and salt.

“Yeah, Tony doesn’t like pickles either. I love them.” Jim chuckled, stealing the offending plant slice off Loki’s tray. Loki ignored that to create another food pile to devour. Magical draining left him hungry and the Midgardians had been placing nutrients into his body directly.

Dr Bruce had already admitted, through JARVIS once asked, that they had been guessing as to his dietary needs and would be surprised if he had cravings for a few days to make up the difference. Loki suspected hsi craving would be meat. Both Asgardians and Jotann ate more of it than midgardians appeared to.

As Loki devoured the offering, Jim sat back and watched for a moment before Loki took a break to raise an eyebrow in his direction.

“So you remember that whole conversation we had or just bits of it. Cause, I gotta tell you, man, you were out once you’d grown up again.”

Loki frowned, stacking another cheeseburger together. “Why?”

Jim shrugged. “Cause I’m about to leave you with  _ my _ scrawny-ass brother and I want to know if you’re gonna make his life difficult.”

Loki looked down at his meal. When was the last time Thor had thought to pre-emptively stand up for Loki that way? He forced himself to shake that thought loose. “So the winged out was your brother?”

The winged man hadn’t been present before during the invasion so he must be a new addition. He was the only one who looked a thing like the man in front of him. 

“Sam? Nope. I’m talking about Tones. You know, Tony Stark,  _ Man of Iron _ ” He waved his fingers, snickering at the title. Loki just blinked at him.

“Tony is your brother?”

Jim nodded with a smile, leaning back in his seat. Loki hummed a moment. “How old were you when the adoption happened?” Tony had spoken of his father, so they’d clearly been raised by Jim’s father if he was that bad to Tony.

Jim chuckled. “I adopted the dope when he was about 14. He was all elbows and knees and mouth” Jim laughed fondly. Loki frowned.

“You claim him as your brother?”

“Yup!” Jim smiled. “But no parents involved, though Mama smothers him in hugs any chance he’s within reach.”

“So he’s not your brother.” Loki felt almost disappointed at that. Had he really hoped Tony would have had the same upbringing as him? Was he that petty, that pitiful and in want of a friend?

Jim snorted, “You aim a weapon at either of us in view of the other and we’ll correct that misunderstanding real quick.” 

Loki frowned, causing Jim to huff.

“Look, I’ve gotten most of your story over the last few days from Thor. And your adopted father sounds as bad if not worse than Tony’s dad. Giant pricks who didn’t know how to praise a smart son. But just because one member of the family is idiotic, doesn’t mean the rest are. It sounded like you are pretty attached to Frigga.”

“Lady Frigga.”

“See? You defend  _ Lady _ Frigga’s title.”

“Your point, mortal.” Loki snarled.

Jim grinned at him. “I’m saying that Tony and I are brothers cause we choose to be. Nobody and nothin gets to decide that but us.”

Loki scoffed, “Thor hasn’t the mental capacity for that!”

Jim raised an eyebrow and for a moment Loki feared he could hear the hope that vibrated in his voice. “I don’t know about before, but right now, that very not-eloquent big not-brother of yours is off to wage verbal war with your planet’s ruling counsel. When he learned that you had been punished for crimes in the way you had I’m surprised the building didn’t fry from the storm outside.”

Loki looked down at the protection discs on his shoulders. Thor’s armor had 3 sets with different abilities. These were protection against ranged attacks. Loki picked at them where they sat. He remembered watching Odin rip the top set off Thor before banishing him. 

“Was Thor wearing the other four discs when he left?”

If Jim thought the question was odd, he showed no signs. He simply nodded, “Yeah, he was.”

Loki nodded. “Mother helped make them. The top set were Odin’s gift of Realm connection. They allowed Thor access to the realms as a Prince of Asgard. These are from Mother.” Odin wouldn’t have been able to pull them off if he’d tried. It was only the force of his banishment that overcame their attachment.

“He had two more.”

Loki nodded. “Mine. They stop all illusion attack magic with a grown man’s distance, except mine.” Loki grimaced and recited one of the most basic rules of magic, “You can’t protect against yourself.”

Jim hummed in understanding.

“Its true. I was my own worst enemy.” Loki gritted his teeth. “In seeking the approval of Odin I killed my own father.” Loki laughed, though he doubted it sounded joyous. “Wouldn’t you know it, Thor returned at that moment. Mother was the balm on the torrent of which father I had just betrayed. Which son? Yet, she held me. Knowing what I was, she held me close. And  _ he _ had to return just then. He couldn’t have waited five more MINUTES!”

Loki knocked the tray to the floor. Jim didn’t even jump. He simply placed his own, mostly empty tray in front of Loki and sat back. Maintaining a thoughtful expression that seemed to calm Loki a bit. Loki looked away. He hadn’t meant to explode like that. Briefly he wondered if his lack of emotional control was due to some potion cocktail the midgardians had given him in a misguided attempt to assist in his healing.

“I was going to do it, you know. Destroy all those people, my blood kin. All for the love of a father who I could never please.” Loki whispered. Thor’s arrival had sent his own rage through the roof. He couldn’t think. His plan had been to finish the destruction before Thor returned and then his victory would overlook the manipulations. He’d be redeemed, if only to Thor and Mother.

“I did everything to work around Odin’s edict of banishment. Got him back and the first thing he did, the very first thing was try to turn Mother against me. Mother! The only one who-” Loki let out a whoosh of breath. 

After Thor’s accusation, that Loki attempted to actually see him dead, Loki couldn’t look at Frigga. He couldn’t stand to see her leave him behind too. He tried desperately to tell Thor how he’d wanted him back, but his silvertongue, always so agile, so talented, abandoned him. He’d lost his Mother’s love. He’d just killed his father for Odin and lost his brother’s love in the process. He had to get it back!

“I just needed a few more minutes. Always a few more.” Loki fisted his hands, wincing as they pulled on his previous injuries not yet healed. “If I could’ve rode Sleipner, I would have made it, but my own-” Loki’s voice broke. “My own son chose Odin over me. I couldn’t-”

Loki curled into a ball. He gasped. His punishment at the hands of Thanos hadn’t healed yet. His magic hadn’t had the strength or freedom to do so and the Asgardian healers hadn’t bothered looking at him save his mother.

A strong hand rested on his back, helping his curl up. He breathed in relief. “Did you know that the rainbow bridge to the Bifrost is the most beautiful work of crystal magic? The colors of all the mages who believe in Asgard light it up when one touches it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. I had the bifrost all set to destroy Jotunheim. I did.” Loki clearly remembered that battle. Thor had asked why. “How could Thor ask me that? How could he ask why I would do anything to prove my worth? I am worthy of being a son of Odin!”

Loki chuckled wetly. “Thor told me I couldn’t kill an entire race. Heh. Before his banishment, he’d wanted to do just that. Odin, in his youth, had been responsible for many more bloody a slaughter! He’d banned that from history. The blood of Asgard! It flows with destruction! And Thor had the-the audacity to stand there and say he’d changed.”

“In the span of a handful of days he changed. As if that undid all he had done. All he was about to do! The true son of Odin!” Loki spat. “I had lost everything. He’d had it all before he changed. He’d have it all again. I had nothing! Nothing left but to show that I could thirst for battle as any Asgardian prince!”

Loki was shaking. He could feel the rage simmering. He hadn’t ever wanted the throne! “I’d wanted to be a true son of Odin! I wanted to be Thor’s equal, his advisor, his-his-” Loki took a deep breath.

“But even in that I was denied. My brother couldn’t respect me enough to fight me. Even after I told him-” Loki cut himself off. He’d told Thor that they weren’t brothers. He’d goaded Thor with all the words that would have worked before. He even found a new soft spot to poke in the midgardian woman Thor had grown attached to. He wouldn't fight Loki for Loki’s well-being, but he would for a Lady known barely a week.

“Last choice, even behind a midgardian female known only 5 days.” Loki said bitterly. It had gotten him the fight he’d wanted. The fight he’d needed. Back and forth, more brutal than any spar, yet cleansing somehow. Like Thor was finally not just indulging him.

“Thor won, of course.” Loki scoffed. Like there had ever been any doubt on that outcome. “When he approached for a moment I thought he’d give me a hand up, like when we were kids. But he just placed Mjolnir on my chest.” Loki tightened his curl, aided by Jim’s hand on his back.

“You know that none could lift Mjolnir?” 

Jim nodded and said softly, “Yeah, I’d heard that.”

Loki chuckled rawly. “Yeah, so if its placed on your chest during an exhale, or if you exhale at all…” He let the sentence finish itself. Mjolnir suffocates you. It hadn’t been the first time Thor had done that. Loki had long learned how to stomach breath for a short time until Thor retrieved his stupid hammer. The longer it stayed the more short of breath Loki became. Before the enchantment, he could shift it a bit, but after, it wouldn’t budge.

Loki took in a deep, shaky breath. He had been so done with Thor, with everything. He’d lashed out at Thor with what he thought was his last breath. It hadn’t occurred to him that Thor would destroy the bridge.

“He truly did put the fate of Jotunheim ahead of his wants, of Asgards wants. Destroying such a piece of working. Separating himself from that Midgardian female he claimed was so important. In that moment I had to stop him. I had to!”

Loki shook Jim’s hand off and the man leaned back willingly. “He’d never see her again. Odin would never know what a good son I’d be. Thor couldn’t- I wouldn’t  _ let _ him destroy the bridge!”

But he’d been too late. Too late for any of it.

“But he did.” Loki said softly. “He did and we both fell.”

Odin caught Thor. He always caught Thor. When the Prince was stumbling, when he was in the wrong, when Thor was upset, Odin caught him and sat him back upright. Loki had known he’d lost Thor’s love. He’d looked up to his father. To Odin. All of his failures, all of the disapprovals, and Loki had finally done something right.

“I did it for him. All I had left.” Loki said quietly. “He didn’t want it.”

Jim seemed to wait a moment, but at that minute all Loki could see was the disappointment on Odin’s face, the yawning void beneath his feet. Then two arms surrounded him. He remembered this. He hadn’t been a child, and yet he had been. And these same two arms had brought his brother back to him. Had held him when he’d cried as a child. And now he leaned into them. Somehow that trust, that comfort, it transferred.

“He didn’t deserve the title father.”

Loki closed his eyes to that sentence. So few criticized Odin. And yet, somehow, it felt right.

“No, he doesn’t.”

* * *

Jim stayed with Loki as his exhausted breakdown segued into an exhausted nap. Loki woke sometime later to Jim’s soft voice speaking with Tony. 

“I don’t think it’ll be that simple, Tones. You saw how he reacted to Whats-her-name out there.”

“Hmm? Yeah, well, Boudica can kiss my awesom-”

“Please don’t. I heard,  _ and saw _ , enough of your ass at MIT.”

“But it's such a nice ass! Vote best four years in a row!”

“by people who didn’t have to carry it home after those parties.”

“Oh! You wound me, Sourpatch!”

“Does that mean I’m out of the will?”

“Yes! I shall strike you from my life file!”

“Oh, then I can tell Mama I won’t be bringing you by next week.”

“What? No! No, no, no don’t do that! Mama will call me up and...why would you do that?” The whine made Loki’s pillow shudder in chuckles.

“Too easy, Tones.”

“Humph!” Loki felt his pillow heave a slight sigh of amusement. “Anyway, I think Loki likes JARVIS. J said they talked for over an hour earlier. Maybe he’ll even let me take some readings!”

“Didn’t JARVIS take all the readings earlier?”

“He won’t share them with me without Loki’s okay. Privacy and all.”

“Still leaves what you intend to do with our Lady Warrior out there.”

“As I said, she can-”

“Tooooooes!” Jim’s whine vibrated through Loki’s head pleasantly. He kept his breathing steady, hoping to find out what they were going to do about him and Sif.

“Fine, fine! But Loki’s under Avenger’s protection. She’s not. And what the hell was that? Asking about his kids when he’s barely functioning? And people say I have no tact!”

“You have plenty of tact. You simply use it all up for your own schemes.”

“Slander! I use a lot of it on Pepper too.”

“I'm sure.”

Both men were quiet for a minute. Loki almost thought they knew he was awake and were waiting for him to speak. Eventually TOny whispered, “He's just, he’s interested, you know? I know what its like to have a lot of really cool discoveries and have your Father tell you they were stupid.”

“Howard was a dick.”

“Right? All my ideas are cool!”

“Not the jello idea.”

“Oh my god! Are you ever going to forget about that?!?”

“Nope.”

“But-”

“It's my job to embarrass my little brother. And seeing Loki, here, reminded me I’m behind on my monthly quota.”

“ _ Monthly _ ?” Tony squawked. Loud enough to have woken Loki had he not already been awake and listening. They seemed to ignore that though.

“Used to be weekly, when we lived together. But not living together means its moved to monthly.” Jim teased. Loki relaxed against the mortal chest. He hadn’t even realized he’d tensed up. Across the room Tony was muttering to himself darkly.

“Tones, you still haven't said your plans for Warrior Princess.”

“She’s joining the Spy set, okay?”

“Your funeral.”

“Phil’s suggestion.”

“Makes more sense.”

“We figured it would give them time to evaluate Lady Yue while still keeping her close to Lord Mage here. It's the floor beneath Thor’s Quarters and I built Thor’s with big windows for flying and all so she can move between them quickly. But it gives Dodge Ram some privacy. As long as Loki has more respect for doors than Point Break, anyway.”

Loki snorted, then froze. The chest under his head started chuckling.

“He slipped didn’t he?” Tony’s voice sounded amused. Jim must have nodded or indicated through his chuckles, because a second later, “Yes! I knew the big guy was the way to go! Never underestimate how much joy it is to laugh at older brothers.”

“Trust me, Tones, I’m well aware.”

Loki shifted so he was seeing Tony in the medical room. The not-Iron man was sticking his tongue out at Jim. No one else had entered the room it seemed.

“And when will I move to this new abode you are proposing?”

Tony snickered. Above his head, Jim sighed, “When you can walk there without assistance.”

“Yeah, Bruce is already to have fits about you leaving medical, but he, himself, has already said he wasn’t actually doing much here.” Tony shrugged. “Anyway, Steve is trying to plan a welcome dinner for when you are feeling better. I think he’s trying for some mix between Scandinavian and what we know from Thor. Since its Tasha and Bruce cooking it, though, we’ll see what ends up happening.”

“Please tell me I’m not being added to your gaggle of misfits.” Loki pushed himself upright, happy to note that a lot of his energy had returned.

Tony shrugged, “Not injured, certainly. And not right away. At the moment we’re pretty self-regulating. That doesn’t bode well for future interactions. I’m working on it. Until then, we may need to close the Avenger’s Roster to new applicants. Sam is already pushing it.”

“Did I infer I was a new applicant?” Loki kept that question light and curious, even though he was roiling with concern over the idea.

Tony shrugged, “It would give you some legal protection. Anyway, that can’t be dealt with until Thor is back or we get oversight so, Hakuna Matata”

“Hakuna Matata?”

Jim sickered next to him as he hopped off the bed. Loki felt the absence almost immediately.

Tony grinned, “It means ‘No Worries’”, Loki stared as Tony hummed, “Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase.”

Loki looked at him skeptically, “Hakuna Matata?”

Both men immediately sang, “Ain’t no passing craze!” Both men immediately broke into giggles.

Tony regained his breath first as Loki continued to stare at them in exasperation. “I’ll pull a list for you. Maybe modify Thor’s and Steve’s. 

Tony was still chuckling as he wandered over to the far wall and inexplicably knocked on it. “Katniss! Pep will kill me if I get lost in a Disney whirlpool before finishing the power surge issue in the next StarkPad. Introduce Puck to Lion King.”

“Not 1 and ½! Never again!” filtered out of the vent opening. 

Tony snorted. “Of course not. We shall never mention that evening again!”

The vent opened and the Archer rolled out and onto the floor fluidly. Loki grinned as Tony whined about the dust from the vents and the Archer claimed to be Dust resistant. Jim sighed and placed his hands on Tony’s shoulders to guide him out of the room. 

“Okay, Barton, you introduce our newest guest to Disney. Tony, go! Lab! Before Pepper tracks us both down.”

“Why would she track you down? Rhodeeeeey, did you do something?”

“For some reason, she blames me for anything you do if I’m in the building.”

“Guilt by association! Blasphemy!”

“I think that’s only religion related.”

Tony snickered, “Well, if you’re going to be blamed anyway, perha…” Tony’s voice faded as they closed the door. Clint reached into the vent and pulled out a pillow and a cloth bag. Loki frowned at him as he opened the door to glance out of the room before closing it again. Then he made a slice in the side of several bags and used nearby supplies to attach the bags to the door and doorway.

He gave Loki a grin as he hopped back over. “Skittles are best, but Bruce likes chocolate so M&M’s it is!”

The Archer returned to the wall at Loki’s feet to start rearranging the furniture. “Won’t Tony or Bruce get annoyed?”

The Archer glanced at him and laughed, “Tony asked me to do it. They can duke it out between them!”

“What-?”

Barton was already rummaging in his bag. He pulled out a few more bags which he promptly upended in a nearby metal bowl and handed it to Loki. “The round ones are Skittles, there are only like 12 flavors and half of them taste the same, but Sam likes them so What can you do? The rest are Jelly beans of all flavors. I think there are 65 flavors.”

Loki was now looking at the brightly colored pebbles in the metal bowl on his lap. “Am I to  _ guess _ which one’s I’ll like?”

The Archer grinned. “Nope, blind tasting is the way to go. J, queue up Lion King 1 and 2 on the wall.”

“And if I don’t like any, Archer Barton?”

The mortal wrinkled his nose, “Jeez, what did Tony do to get you to call him by name. I’m Clint. And liking them isn’t the fun!”

Loki glanced at the doorway and then to the bowl and grinned. He focused some of his remaining energy. The food-pebbles vanished.

“Hey!”

“Now, neither of us knows.”

Clint laughed outright and agreed, hopping on the bed beside Loki and sticking his hand in the bowl. a Rich, colorful Sunrise started on the wall opposite as Loki settled back. For the first time in a long time he thought he might live somewhere fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have finished it!!!!!!!! Loki is now part of my MCU universe in a good way. I shall address the kids at a later date. There are a lot of loose ends here but I think I'm at a good stopping place. What'd you guys think?


End file.
